Strength To Fight
by FriendsLovers
Summary: A cop killer is threatening the city. Will the team catch him? And how will it affect a few of them? - DL
1. Chapter 1

**Strength To Fight**

**Summary: A cop killer is threatening the city. Will the team catch him? And how will it affect a few of them? - DL**

**Author's note: I don't know where this idea suddenly came from. But as my latest case fic is completed, I thought starting a new one would be a good idea. This one won't focus on the case itself completely though, you'll see what I mean. :) Please let me know what you think.**

**This is set in season 2, Danny and Lindsay aren't a couple yet. But they will be soon. :)  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything.**

**Rating: T**

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**The rushing of the water seemed to get louder by the second as it was filling the large basin. Paralysing fear was filling her, spreading into every inch of her exhausted, aching body. With swollen, yet widened eyes she stared at the surface of the water, steadily approaching her.

A desperate scream erupted from her as she pulled at the handcuffs, trailing off into helpless sobbing. Her mind was spinning, hardly she was able to concentrate, to make logical decisions. Then again she had lost the ability to decide about what was happening to her the moment she had been overwhelmed by the man who had brought her to this place. A warehouse, somewhere nowhere and she had absolutely no idea where she was.

They had been working hard on catching him. All of them had been extra careful though as they had figured out all of the victims had been working for them.

But despite everything they had tried, things had gotten awfully wrong. Now she was where she knew it all ended. In the basin where all victims had been drowned by their killer. He had left her alone, obviously not willing to see her fight, not wanting to hear her scream for help and plead with him to let her go.

The water had reached her feet, was quickly going up her legs, reaching her waist in no time. Her instinct to survive had kicked in and brutally she was pulling at the chains of the handcuffs, trying to get free although she knew she wouldn't. Crying and screaming she was, not willing to give up, not accepting she would end like all the victims they had found. She didn't want them to find her like that. She didn't want him to find her like that. This man wouldn't win. She wouldn't let him win.

And then, through the rushing of the water, she heard a sound that was more beautiful than everything she had heard before. It was the sound of a voice she knew only too well. And it was shouting her name.

* * *

Danny's heart was pounding hard in his chest as the group of cars stopped in front of the warehouse. Never before they had been so close to catching this person who had been hunting down cops for weeks. And never before he had been more determined to lock a person up.

Ever since the moment he had found out that this person had kidnapped one of them, his will to find this man had increased to a point where he could barely keep himself focused. A paralysing fear had been filling him during all those hours until they had finally found this one little piece of evidence that had told them where Lindsay was.

They had to hurry if they didn't want this man to reach his showdown, if they didn't want to find her like they had found all the previous victims. With shaking hands, he got into his vest, grabbed his gun, keeping his fingers closed around it tightly, determined. He would find her and rescue her, no matter what it cost.

"Danny," he heard Don speak to him. He gazed up at his friend, his mind too far away to actually listen. "Calm down, okay? We'll find her. She has to be in there somewhere. We want to find her as much as you, but we can't allow us any mistakes. Don't do anything you'd regret later."

Danny only nodded in response. He knew he had to keep control, to not let his emotions fully take over. Mac had told him that so many times before. Danny believed that listening to his instinct was a strength as his instinct usually was right. He also believed that no one was able to turn feelings off in this job, that no one always managed to work without being driven by emotions.

But he also knew that Don was right. He couldn't storm into this building, mindless and careless. He had to stay professional. As hard as it was.

They made their way over to the building. All the time keeping his eyes focused on Mac, Danny followed every instruction, not willing to mess up. They couldn't afford scaring the killer away. And taking his hostage with him.

Slowly and quietly they entered the giant warehouse. It seemed to be left, like no person had entered it in ages; to everyone else it would look like that. Not to them though. Mac stopped, nodding his head towards the floor.

"Fresh footprints," he said quietly. "Look like the ones we found at the crime scenes. They have to be here somewhere."

They wanted to continue their way further into the warehouse as it was Don who made them stop. "Wait," he told them. "Do you hear that?"

All of them stood still, listening closely. Closing his eyes, Danny tried to focus, tried to blind out the fear that was still threatening to take him over. And then he heard it as well.

"That's water," he stated, opening his eyes again. "That's the rushing of water."

At this point, not even Mac would have been able to stop him anymore. Danny knew what the rushing of water meant in combination with their killer. It was how he had ended every of his hostage situations. They had to find whatever room had to be below them. A room where water was rushing. And he knew what it would lead to.

Had his mind been spinning before, now Danny was seeing everything entirely clear. Together with Mac, Don and the other cops they managed to find the door that led into the basement. Down there, they parted to explore the various hallways. Danny knew he had found the right one as the rushing got louder and louder, causing his steps to get faster and faster.

With his heart pounding in his chest, he raced through the tight hallways, praying he would be fast enough. Closer and closer he was getting to his goal.

And then he reached the door that was blocking his way and was clearly separating him from the room he needed to get into. No longer all he could hear was the rushing of water. Instead the deafening sound was mixed with another noise that both, frightened and relieved him. Screaming.

"Lindsay!" he shouted as loud as he could, banging hard against the metal of the door. "Lindsay, are you in there?"

"Danny?" It was a surprised question that was shouted back in response. To him it was the most wonderful word he had ever heard before. She was in there, he was still in time. He only needed to get through this damn door.

"Lindsay!" he yelled. "Montana, it's me! I'll get you out there, okay? Don't worry, I'll get you out there." It was then that he cursed himself for the fact he had forgotten that there was still another danger threatening them. "Are you...alone in there?"

"Yes!" she screamed back. "Get me out of here, please!"

Danny sighed relieved. He knew Mac would tell him something about forgetting about their suspect as he had reached the room she was locked in. He believed her though that this man wasn't anywhere near, otherwise the man would have made her shut up by now, or she would have told him to run away.

Over and over again he banged against the door that was separating him from where he needed to be so badly. Using all the strength he could gain, he jumped against the door, ignoring the pain that shot through his body at every hard contact with it. His mind was yelling at him, telling him to get in there. No matter how. No matter what it cost.

But his body wasn't strong enough. Desperately he ran his hands through his short hair. He was so close. A stupid metallic door shouldn't stop him. There was only one more option he had. Pointing his gun at the lock of the door, he took a deep breath to concentrate. The shot echoed through the air as the bullet hit it expertly, causing the lock to break.

Another jump at the door and it flew open. Hastily, Danny rushed into the room with the large basin.

"Danny!" Lindsay yelled. "I'm here! Get me out of here, please!"

The fear in her voice was making his heart race. The water in the basin was reaching up to her neck now, soon would cover her face. Immediately he had spotted the handcuffs that kept her in place; another hindrance. But none that would stop him.

Hectically, Danny looked around the room on search for the next sharp object. His heart made a jump as he indeed found a knife lying on the floor, not even too far away.

"I'll get you out there, don't worry," he told her. Quickly grabbing the knife, he hurried over to her. Half of her face was under water already. Desperately she tried to keep her nose and mouth over the surface, barely succeeding though.

He had to hurry. Tightly he grabbed the first handcuff. Once again he took a deep breath to stop his hands from shaking. Once this day he needed to focus if he wanted to get her free. He stuck the tip of the knife into the lock of the handcuff.

"Dammit, get open," he hissed, forcefully turning the tip around in the lock. Almost she was completely under water now as panic was threatening to take over. Another time he pushed the knife into the lock, sighing in relief and gratitude as it clicked and opened. Hastily he worked on the other handcuff, this time succeeding faster.

His grip tightened around her wrists as he used all his remaining strength to pull her out of the water. His arms wrapped around her wet body as he managed to get her out of the basin completely. He pulled her away from it as far as possible before he rolled her onto her back, checking if she was still breathing.

"Please, open your eyes. Open your eyes!" he shouted at her, closing his mouth over hers for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Relief rushed through him as she coughed and spat at his afford. He pulled her up into a sitting position.

"Are you okay?" Gently Danny lifted her face to look at her, finding her staring at him with huge eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine," Lindsay said quietly. And before he could say more, her arms wrapped around him tightly and she pressed herself against him as close as even possible.

"Shh, everything's alright," he whispered, soothingly running up and down her back. "Everything's fine. You're safe."

Barely Danny noticed how Mac and Don arrived as well. All he concentrated on was Lindsay. He had found her. She was fine. And he couldn't remember when he had been more relieved before.

* * *

The moment Lindsay had heard Danny's voice, all her fear seemed to have disappeared. Possibly it was an irrational reaction as she couldn't know if he would be able to get her free again. All the time she had been thinking of him though, mentally urging him to come and find her. As the hostage of the man who had killed so many male and female cops, she had only kept herself sane with knowing he would keep on looking for her until he would find her. Even though she knew him for just a few months, she knew he would try to find her. And he had done it.

Instinctively Lindsay had wrapped her arms around Danny tightly, keeping herself pressed against his chest as close as even humanly possible. She was safe again. She didn't care that her hostage taker was still somewhere out there. She was lying in the arms of the man she trusted in the most and never before she had felt more secure, more comfortable, more protected.

"Montana? Do you hear me?" Danny asked her through the thick fog of exhaustion that was controlling her. Despite the pain she was still in, she smiled lightly as she heard the nickname she had wanted to hear so badly. She nodded.

"Montana, Mac and Don are here as well now," he told her in a calming, gentle voice, all the time holding her close, all the time stroking her back. "The paramedics will also arrive soon and we'll take you to the hostage. But I'll come with you, no worries."

"Thank you," was all she managed to say. She was exhausted, she was in pain. But despite all that she felt good, filled with a relief at the knowledge they had found her.

And once again Lindsay snuggled closer against Danny, not caring for anyone else who was in the room, speaking. He was there, he would make sure everything was fine. Nothing else mattered to her.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow! I'm really surprised by all those wonderful reviews! It means a lot to me, really, and it's helping me a lot! Thanks so much! Special thanks to SMacked Hard, afrozenheart412, dannymesserforever11, sarasidle4eva, JavaJunkie4evr, Dine89, webdlfan, rhymenocerous, canucklehead and rapidtetv!**

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_The water was rising, slowly creeping up her body mercilessly, and she knew nothing would be able to stop it. Forcefully she kept on pulling and yelling, in fear staring at the surface nearing her. Getting over her waist. Over her chest. Reaching her shoulders._

_Then he was there, trying to free her. But the water wouldn't stop. It kept on making its way upwards, nothing willing to stop it. She tried to keep her face over water as long as even possible._

_And then it was all over her. Surrounding her. She couldn't breath. She was holding her breath, desperately trying to not breath in. The water was cold, ice cold. She was struggling against the chains that still kept her locked. She felt the urge to scream but knew she wasn't allowed to scream._

_The air was burning in her lungs, begging to be released. Her body was screaming at her, urging her to breath. Desperately she was fighting against herself. Until everything around her slowly turned dark._

With a frightened gasp, Lindsay sat up straight in bed. She hissed in pain at the sudden movement. Hectically she glanced around the room, her heart racing so hard she believed one could hear it beating. It took her a few moments to remember she wasn't anywhere in the old, cold warehouse anymore.

A tiny sigh of relief escaped her as she sank back against her pillow, wrapping the blanket a bit tighter around herself. She was in a hospital room; a bright, white room with a bed that was keeping her warm. Next to her on a small table she found some flowers; obviously someone had made sure she wouldn't wake up in an impersonal room.

She sank deeper into her pillow, gratefully realising her racing heart was slowly calming down again. Lindsay knew this reaction of her body. She had been in such a fear more than once before. The fear when you didn't know what would happen next, whether you would be fine or not.

That she would get kidnapped by this man no one of them had seen coming. For weeks now, male and female cops had shown up everywhere in the city. All of them had been drowned but also showed various signs of torture. According to Sid, all of their victims had suffered a lot before they had been left to drown; beating, electric shocks, hunger and thirst. Those were only the affects he could make out. They had no idea what kinds of psychological torture the victims had to go through. No rape, no robbery, nothing like that. It had seemed like the only reason why this person had kidnapped his victims had been to torture them. Why he would do that; neither of them had been able to figure it out.

Lindsay still didn't know his motive. But that aside, she knew exactly what every single victim had to go through. Indeed their clues had been right; the killer didn't rape, he didn't rob, he didn't threaten the police with letting them know he caught one of them.

Instead he had sent her through the most horrible few days she could think of. And once in her life time she wished she could simply forget. Many victims suffered from amnesia after going through a traumatic experience. Lindsay though could remember every single second since the moment she had entered the underground car park of the New York Crime Lab, had been grabbed and handcuffed and dragged into the car. By a man who was supposed to defend the law just like them.

That the killer was a cop had shocked her. At first she had tried to talk to him, at least to get some information from him. All she had gotten had been silence. Silence for three entire days. He hadn't spoken a single word to her, had made her feel more and more helpless by the second with giving her the feeling that no matter what she tried, it wouldn't get through to him; torture had right started with that.

What had followed then had been a brutal mix of physical and psychological torture, seemingly with no end. She had to go exactly through the same process like every other man, every other woman this cop had had under his thumb. Just with one difference; she had made it out of the water basin again.

Lindsay shuddered, shaking her head to push all those thoughts out of her mind. She knew her colleagues would want a statement later and she was determined to give them a detailed one to lock this person up for what he had done to her and to all those other men and women.

She was alone in the room. Lindsay sighed. It had never been a problem for her to be alone; in fact she needed it sometimes. She needed time she could spend all by her own. Currently all it did was frighten her. Being alone in a room; she could barely stand it.

But then she heard it, a sound that caused the previous relief to return. Outside her room she could hear voices talking. She couldn't hear what they were talking about. From the sound she assumed those men had to be Danny and Don but she couldn't make out what they were saying.

She also didn't have to. Relieved knowing that she wasn't fully alone again, that no electric shocks, no loud music or brutal hits would await her any time soon, she snuggled back into her pillow as exhaustion took over and the pills started to show their affect once again and she hoped to be able to sleep for another few hours.

* * *

When Don arrived at the right floor again, carrying two cups of coffee, a light smile lit his face as he found Danny the way he had left him in front of Lindsay's room; pacing up and down, not able to sit still for a single second. He couldn't blame him though. Those two might not be together yet but to him they seemed to be like an old married couple, united by a connection which he rarely saw between people who pretended to be just friends.

"You won't get money for all the miles you're running, Danny," he told him as he reached his friend. Handing one of the two cups to him, he guiding him to the chairs across of the door, making his hyped up yet exhausted friend sit down. "Calm down, she's safe again."

"I know she is," Danny sighed. "But how am I supposed to calm down after those three days? Do you even know how lucky we were? I still can't believe it took us three whole days to find her."

"It doesn't matter how long it took us, she's here now," Don replied calmly. "Did you talk to the doctor already?"

"Yeah." Danny nodded. "She told me he didn't rape her, which wasn't a big surprise as this guy never did that, it's not why he kidnapped all those cops. And she said that she's having a couple of broken rips, her entire body is covered in bruises, she found signs for electric shocking, she's dehydrated."

"So he's done what he has done to all the others as well," Don said.

"Yes," Danny answered quietly. "The doctor also tried to talk to her, but she refused to speak."

"No surprise," Don stated. "She had to go through a traumatic experience, we don't know what psychological harm he did to her. Of course she didn't want to talk about it yet."

"I think she should talk to someone though," Danny replied. "To anyone. No matter who it is. But she shouldn't keep it to herself."

"Give her time," Don told him. "I doubt she'll talk to someone she doesn't know though. You know how she is. She isn't one who would unload on someone unfamiliar."

"Maybe she could talk to Stella," Danny suggested, looking for ideas.

But Don shook his head. "I think there is another person she trusts in a lot more." When Danny gave him a questioning look, he sighed. "Man, sometimes I really wonder if you're living behind the moon. I think if there's anyone she'll want to talk to, it's you. You've not only rescued her, you're the friend she's closest to. Maybe you can also find out if she knows who kidnapped her. But even more important, maybe you can help her to get off her chest what she's been experiencing in those three days." He got up again. "I'll just look for the doctor and ask if you can see her."

"You don't have to," Danny replied. "She told me already that I can see her."

Don gave him a surprised look. "And why are you still out here, running up and down the hallway? Go in there finally."

"I don't know." Danny sighed. "I...well, I'm afraid, okay? What if she doesn't want to see me? And...I don't even know what to say. Am I supposed to tell her I'm sorry she had to be kidnapped by this guy, or should I right ask her who it was?"

Once again Don sat down next to his friend, for a moment studying him closely. Then he spoke, trying to sound as calming as even possible. "Tell me, Danny, what happened to the guy who told me to follow my instinct? The one who believes that his heart will tell him what to do?"

"I think Mac isn't that wrong when he says to follow the evidence and not let your emotions rule you," Danny replied.

"Yeah, when you're trying to solve a case maybe," Don said. "But this is not about solving the case. Yes, you have to ask her if she can tell us who this person was, if she knows a name or anything else that can help us, but from what Mac told me earlier, they found enough evidence in the warehouse. Possibly even some DNA, who knows? This is just about you comforting her and showing her that she doesn't have to keep it all to herself. Show her that you're there for the case she needs something. You might be driven by your emotions too often sometimes but when it's about interacting with people, you should never doubt that it's the right way."

Danny glanced back at Don for a moment before he sighed once more. "When did you graduate in psychology?"

Don laughed. "I take that as a 'thank you, Don, you're right'." Once again he got up, this time pulling Danny with him. "Go in there now, talk to her. Or just sit there, whatever you believe is better. A bit more confidence, okay?"

Danny only nodded in response. Of course his best friend was right and he knew that. And so he took a deep breath and without any further hesitation knocked at the door before he entered the room.

The moment he had walked through the doorway and had closed the door behind him again, Danny could feel his nervousness return. He didn't even know why he was feeling nervous in the first place. There was this fear to mess up though; the fear to only find the wrong words, to not being able to comfort her properly. He was glad about the fact she was no rape victim, but anyway he feared what she had to go through instead.

Quietly he made his way over to her bed and sat down in the chair next to her. He had asked Don to buy the flowers for her, just so she wouldn't have the feeling she was alone at the hospital, that even when no one was in the room with her, soon someone would return. This idea had come to him because he had listened to said instinct. Possibly his friend was right. Who said he wouldn't know what to say when he had to say something?

In silence he watched the woman in the bed. She was lying on her back, the blanket pulled up to her chin, hands grabbing the edge of it to keep it there. Her body was heaving and falling softly with every breath. She looked relaxed and he dearly hoped her dreams were just as peaceful as the way she looked like.

Reaching out, Danny took one of Lindsay's hand, which immediately released the blanket from her grip. Gently he took her delicate hand into his, running his thumb over the back of it. Her wrist was bruised badly due to her fight with the handcuffs. Still he had a lump in his throat but he also couldn't deny that once again he was feeling relief spreading inside him again. He didn't have a doubt they would catch this person soon. He would cause no harm anymore. Especially not to her.

"Hey Montana," he whispered then, still keeping on stroking her hand. "I know, took me quite a while to get into here finally. So far we didn't catch this guy, but I'm sure we will soon. You know us, we always catch them." He smiled lightly as he reached out with his other hand and wiped one now dry curl out of her face, caressing her cheek in the process. "I can't tell you how glad I am you're here now. One thing you can definitely count on, I won't ever let something like that happen again. I promise."

Once again following an instinct, Danny led her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss onto its back. It was then that he felt how Lindsay tightened her fingers around his. And before he could say more, she started to blink, slowly waking up again.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you so much for still reading this story and for the lovely reviews! I hope you will like it! Special thanks to rapidtetv, webdlfan, NorthernLights25, Dine89, afrozenheart412, SMacked Hard and dannymesserforever11!**

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**She felt dizzy as her mind was returning from the darkness of her little nap. It was a dull, strange feeling, it seemed as if she was surrounded by a strange cloud that was even keeping the aching of her body less painful as it had been when she had been fully awake a bit earlier.

There was a sound she couldn't make out at first. It took her a bit until she understood that someone was talking to her. Focussing her attention, she tried to listen and her heart was beating faster as she recognized Danny's voice. He had returned. He was speaking to her softly. And even more important, he was holding her hand.

Still she was in this dull state. But one thing she felt clearly; his fingers closed around her hand, in a firm yet gentle grip. It seemed like the warmth radiating from it was spreading through her arm and into her entire body, helping her with waking up again. She could hear what he was speaking now, and his words added to warming her heart.

And then she felt how her hand was lifted up and a soft, loving kiss was placed onto its back. She couldn't stay asleep any longer, she wanted to be awake. Using all strength she could gain, she closed her hand around his and tried to open her eyes. She blinked a few times, just to squeeze her eyes shut again at the bright light that was blinding her.

"Montana?" he asked softly. "Can you hear me? Are you awake?"

She nodded lightly, groaning as the pain returned, flashing through her body, caused by all the injuries she had to suffer.

"Is the light too bright?" he continued asking. "I'll quickly dim it a bit." She felt how he let go of her hand and walked through the room. A moment later no light was flashing into her eyes anymore and another second later his hand was gently grabbing hers again, silently urging her to wake up completely. "Is this better?"

"Yes," Lindsay answered quietly. She coughed lightly at the raspy feeling in her throat. All the screaming had worn her out and every word was aching in her throat now. Carefully she managed to open her eyes now and gaze up at Danny who was sitting next to her. Relief was plastered all over his face as her eyes met his.

"Hey," he greeted her. "Welcome back."

"Hey," she greeted back, once again coughing lightly. "Sorry."

"Oh, don't apologize," Danny told her. "Don't speak too much if that hurts you, okay?"

Lindsay nodded. Still she was dizzy as thoughts kept on rushing back. It was then that her eyes widened and she realised that even though she was exhausted and in pain and despite what he was saying, she had something to do.

"He's a cop," she managed to say.

"What?" Danny looked at her in confusion.

"The man who kidnapped me. He's a cop," Lindsay repeated. "I don't know his name, but he's tall and has dark hair, quite strong body." She coughed again. "You have to call Mac."

Danny nodded. "Okay." He fished his phone out of his jeans pocket and dialled the number of their boss. Lindsay watched him talk, hoping that she could help them to catch this man a little bit. She didn't know if he had left any evidence at the warehouse at all, but possibly the fact that he was a cop would narrow the suspects down a lot.

"What did he say?" she wanted to know after he had hung up again.

"He said they found some evidence at the warehouse, even some DNA. They'll be at the lab soon, but knowing it's a cop definitely helps a lot," Danny answered, putting the phone away again. "And he said to tell you to get better really quickly. Because we need you at work."

Lindsay chuckled lightly, wincing at the aching pain caused by her rips immediately. "Thanks."

Danny smiled at her. "So how are you feeling now? Any better?" He glanced down at her hand which she was still holding. Her wrist was covered in various bruises, caused by her desperate attempts to get free.

"In pain a bit," she answered. "What did the doctor say?"

"A lot," Danny replied softly. "She said your rips are broken."

Lindsay nodded. It was an explanation for the reason why every breath caused pain to rush through her. "I can imagine."

"She said he didn't rape you," Danny continued.

Again Lindsay nodded. "He didn't. But he never did with any of his victims." She glanced at her wrist. "That was caused by the handcuffs. And the rest of the bruises from beating me up." She swallowed hard. "Anything else?"

"She also said there are signs for electric shocking," he said.

Once more she nodded. Instinctively her hand had clenched around Danny's. Memories that were still so clear in her mind were rushing back. A cold was filling her, causing her to slide further under her blanket although she knew it wouldn't give her any comforting warmth at all.

"You know, we have time," Danny spoke after minutes of silence. "We don't have to talk about all this now. You told us the guy is a cop, with the evidence they found they'll have him in no time. We know what he did to all the other...victims. We have the report of the doctor. If you need some time before you can speak about what happened, that's totally fine."

"But the sooner you have my statement the better," Lindsay replied, trying to keep on talking without being interrupted by coughs. Her voice still sounded so strange, like it wasn't her own.

"Yeah, sure, but you don't have to do it now," Danny said.

"And if I don't do it now? Then possibly someone else shows here up and wants to talk to me," she answered. "I don't want that. I want to talk to you, or to no one."

Danny nodded in understanding. "Alright. Then...do you want to talk to me as a friend or want me to record it already?"

"Record it, it's fine," she said.

He nodded again. "Okay. Just tell me when to stop." He reached into his jacket pocket to get the little recorder. Lindsay adjusted her position in bed, her hand still closed around Danny's tightly. She wasn't anywhere near being ready to talk about those three days which had seemed to last for eternity yet. But she knew this possibly wouldn't change over the days. Anyway she had to make a statement and knowing that she could do it with Danny was making it at least a little bit easier for her.

"Maybe the best is we start with what happened when you left the lab three days ago," Danny started then.

Lindsay nodded. She took a deep breath, trying to focus on what had happened as she had left the elevators back then. "I remember that I was on my way to my car. I was almost at my car when I noticed there was someone else in the underground car park. I was a bit nervous as it was late but that eased when I saw it was another cop. He came up to me and I wasn't really thinking anything bad. He was...even kinda friendly to me. But...well, when he reached me I noticed his gun. He told me to stay quiet as the cameras wouldn't see us in this part of the car park anyway. I had to let him take my car." She sighed. "Coincidentally I had parked in an area of the car park where we didn't have any cameras. I thought it was fine as it was close to the exit. If I had parked somewhere else you would have seen him going with me."

"That wasn't your fault that they didn't install cameras everywhere down there," Danny told her. "It's their stupid mistake. I don't get why we have cameras down there when they're not even covering the entire thing." Once again he squeezed her hand gently. "What happened then?"

"He handcuffed me in the car and then we left," Lindsay continued. The cold inside her was constantly increasing and she found herself shivering lightly already. The icy fear she had felt as she had realised in what a situation she had gotten into. "I asked him what he was doing and things but he put a tape over my mouth then. He drove us to the warehouse then and brought me inside. I remember how he...cuffed me to a pipe in one of the rooms and left again."

"Possibly he got rid of your car," Danny suggested. "We found it in the Hudson."

Lindsay nodded. Once again her mind started to spin as she struggled with focusing. Sighing, she leant back into her pillow, her fingers once more tightening around his.

"I told you we can stop whenever you want," Danny told her in a soft voice. But before he could add more, she shook her head.

"No," Lindsay said. "I started it." She was shivering more now, with her free hand trying to wrap her blanket tighter around herself. But no blanket could ease the cold that was making her freeze from the inside. The cold of fear.

"Then lets just agree you give me a short version of what happened and save the details for a later time," Danny replied, clearly sensing her affection. "What happened through those three days until we found you?"

Once more she took a deep breath, forcing herself to speak summarize the events from those three days. "He tortured me. Like he did with all the others. He beat me up, over and over again. He...gave me electric shocks. He didn't give me any water or any food. He blindfolded me and blasted music at me for hours. He left me in a tiny dark room for hours." Her voice trailed off. Even if she had wanted to, she couldn't speak anymore.

"Alright, that's enough." Danny switched the recorder off and let it disappear in his jacket again. She was feeling dizzy again as she was clinging to him and her blanket, images of the previous days rushing through her mind. Tears were rising in her eyes, blinding her.

"Can I...do anything for you?" Danny asked carefully, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

Lindsay could only nod in response as she lightly pulled at his hand. Danny obviously didn't need more as he seemed to read her mind perfectly. He got up from his chair and joined her on the edge of her bed. Carefully and gently he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into a comforting embrace. Like earlier her own arms closed around him tightly in search for protection.

Lindsay was a woman who took care of herself. It had been ages since she had wished for finding protection in the arms of someone else. Currently it was all she needed though and Danny was more than willing to give her that.

* * *

Danny didn't know for sure how long he was holding Lindsay in his arms, gently running his hand up and down her back, whispering calming words to her. She wasn't crying, wasn't saying anything. She was scared. Simply scared. And this was enough to make his heart ache.

She had given him more information than he had expected. Everything in her reactions was telling him how traumatized she was by what she had to go through. He would have waited, would have given her more time before she would recall all those events. She had wanted to do it right then though and he didn't think he should contradict.

The conversation had exhausted her, had brought back all those memories. He didn't want to imagine what she was currently feeling.

But he was determined to do what Don had told him; he would listen to his instinct. Lindsay had said she didn't want to talk to anyone else but him. She had wanted him to hold her. She wanted Danny to support her. And he had to be doing something right.

"We can continue now," she said after a while, pulling out of his arms again. Her cheeks had flushed lightly, by her reaction he assumed and it only made his heart break even more.

"No, we won't continue now," he replied. Once again he grabbed her lightly and moved her to lie down again. "You've said enough for now. We know he's a cop, where he hid his hostages and you told us a lot of what he's been doing. That's enough for now."

"Fine." With a sigh Lindsay snuggled back into her pillow, obviously relieved by the fact she could stop her statement now.

"Do you want to sleep a bit again?" Danny asked. "I could go out a bit. Maybe take the tape to the lab."

"I'd like to sleep," she answered, indeed sleepily. Her cheeks flushed a bit more as she added, "But...can't you stay here? Only if it's okay. I know...you maybe have to..."

"Of course I can stay here," Danny interrupted her gently. "That's absolutely no problem. I'd like to stay here with you."

Lindsay smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

Danny nodded in response. He watched how Lindsay wrapped her blanket a bit more tightly around herself. Once again he sat back down in his chair. Of course he would stay, would be there when she would wake up again. It was only one of all those things he would do for her and he would make sure she wouldn't hesitate to ask for them.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I know I'm a bit quick with updating this again, but after this incredibly lovely feedback I just had to post more! Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! You can't imagine how much they all mean to me! Special thanks to afrozenheart412, Dine89, dannymesserforever11, webdlfan, NorthernLights25, SMacked Hard, rapidtetv and carolinaprincess!**

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**He was exhausted. In fact he didn't know if there had ever been a time when he had been more tired before. Of course Danny had had times when he had to work one shift after the other and then simply had collapsed into either his bed or onto his couch where he had slept until his alarm clock had roughly woke him up again.

Now though Danny was struggling with another kind of exhaustion. Indeed he was horribly tired as he hadn't slept in three entire days, not even for a single minute. That aside he had been running on adrenaline all the time.

He was sitting on the plastic chair, watching Lindsay now who had fallen asleep again. He was glad she had managed to go back to sleep after everything she had told him. He had been aware of what this man had been doing to his victims. Hearing it from her though, knowing she had to go through this for three long days once more caused him to shudder. He didn't dare to imagine how she was feeling, what she was thinking. All he knew was that he would make sure she wouldn't have to go through the aftermaths all by her own.

Exhaustion was making it difficult for him to keep his eyes open. The adrenaline was slowly fading, the knowledge that she was save was helping Danny to calm down again. Once again he took her hand as Lindsay sighed softly in her sleep, shifting lightly.

The cold fear he had been feeling all the time had disappeared finally. Danny knew that things wouldn't be easy in the future. He could only imagine how long it would take Lindsay to get over what she had experienced. He knew he couldn't just wipe the past away. But like Don had said; she seemed to trust in him. Still he wasn't entirely sure what she needed to hear, what he needed to do. Obviously his instinct seemed to have made him do the right things so far and in the past and he would make sure to keep this behaviour.

Leaning back in his chair, Danny closed his eyes, for the first time in three days not forcing them open again immediately. Lindsay would sleep for a while. He could just rest a bit to get some strength back for later. Just a few moment.

A second later he had fallen asleep as well, for the first time in three days allowing himself to relax.

* * *

Don was staring at the man sitting in the interrogation room, across of Mac. He knew this man only too good. Many times they had met him at Sullivan's, he had worked together with him a couple of times. Don thought he knew Officer Oliver Quinn.

He couldn't have expected how wrong he had been. Always he had thought that Quinn was a man who was aware of the moral of their job; to help and protect the citizens of New York City. Never he would have imagined that this man would one day start kidnapping his own colleagues, would brutally torture and murder them.

Once again Don shook his head, swallowing hard in an attempt to get rid of the lump in his throat. It wouldn't work. Over and over again he mentally replayed all those ocassions he had worked together with Quinn. Could he have seen this coming? Could he have prevented this from happening?

His thoughts drifted to Lindsay who had luckily been found by Danny and who had helped them to catch this man who was supposed to respect the law as much as them. He imagined she hadn't thought anything bad when she had met him. Until he had taken her hostage. Now she was back, she was save again. All the torture she had to go through wouldn't be forgotten any time soon.

Once more Don focused his attention on the man on the chair. Nothing in Quinn's eyes showed he regretted what he had done. Nothing gave him the feeling that this man wasn't aware of what was happening around him. It caused Don's already existent anger to boil as he listened to Mac confronting this man who had put shame on all of them.

"So you refuse to speak?" Mac asked. He had been sitting across of Oliver Quinn for several long minutes, not getting a single word out of the man yet. "That's your right of course. That doesn't impact what we know already." He pushed a folder over to the man who was still leaning back in his chair, arms crossed in front of his chest, eyes filled with a cold which Mac hadn't seen a lot before. All of them knew Oliver Quinn. No one of them had ever seen this cold look. Had ever expected him to turn into a killer.

"Are you sure you don't want to have a look?" Mac continued asking, his own voice getting icy as he focused on the man in front of him. "Surely would interest you. We've been at your warehouse, but I guess you figured that out when you returned and found out your hostage wasn't there anymore. To your information, she is doing fine thanks to one of our colleagues. One of your colleagues."

Mac narrowed his eyes. Quinn was staring back at him, not showing the slightest bit of regret or understanding. Once again he grabbed the folder, opened it and tossed the crime scene photos at the officer.

"You see that, Quinn?" he shouted coldly. "This is where you kept your hostages locked for days. This is where you tortured them. Where you let them suffer from hunger and thirst. And where you then drowned them. Are you still sure you don't want to say anything about that?"

At this point Mac was yelling in anger. But once again all he got in response was an arrogant smile and a shrug.

"Whatever you say, Detective," he replied. "You have nothing that tells you it was me who brought all those poor cops to this place."

"Unfortunately I have to disappoint you, Quinn," Mac told him, tossing another paper at the officer. "You've not been as genious as you believe. We found your DNA at the warehouse, on what you used to torture your victims. And we have the statement of the woman you kidnapped last."

The smile on Quinn's face disappeared. Instead his eyes seemed to get colder by the second. "Fantastic, you caught me," he stated, rising his hands in faked surrender. "Be proud of yourself. So do you want me to give you your statement willingly or do you want to force me to do so?"

"What do you mean?" Mac wanted to know.

Quinn laughed sarcastically. "What do I mean? Detective, I'm doing this job for over ten years. What do you think I'm talking about, huh? Are you even aware of how many times people on this planet are forced into confessions in brutal ways? With the use of electric shocking? With blasting music at them, with locking them up, letting them hunger to break their will? Are you aware of how often this is happening all over the world?"

Mac stared at the officer in disbelief. Listening to the passionate and angry words of Quinn was slowly causing a suspicion to rise in his mind. "Is that why you kidnapped all those cops?"

Quinn leant forward, bracing himself on his arms on the table, focusing on Mac. "Every person has rights. No one is supposed to be tortured like that for a confession or to get their will broken. I wanted to show that to you, Detective. To the media. To everyone. This case made it around the world. Everyone saw what I've done to those cops. And everyone freaked out, called me a monster." Once again he smiled coldly. "I wanted to make a point and I was successful."

"So to show us what you're thinking of torture, you kidnapped your own colleagues and treated them like that? You want to tell people that everyone has rights but you take those rights away from innocent people yourself?" Mac's voice was getting louder by every spoken word. "There are laws against this, torturing a suspect to get information is forbidden. Those laws are there for a reason! You didn't have a right to torture all those people. Or to kill them afterwards. You have a valid point in stating that everyone has rights and no one should suffer such brutality. But you didn't succeed in making people aware of that. Instead you only added yourself to the long list of brutal murderers who shock people more than make them wake up. And when people think of your actions, the last they will have in mind will be what you wanted them to see."

Once again Quinn stared back at Mac in silence for minutes before he leant back in his chair. "Whatever you say, Detective."

Outside the interrogation room, Don was staring at the man who had once been his colleague in disbelief and shock. He agreed with Mac; no person should ve forced to confess. This was the reason why laws against such practices existed. Once again a man had used a wrong and brutal way to show his opinion to the world. And Don was glad that he would stay in prison for a long while.

* * *

Like before Lindsay didn't manage to sleep long. This time not woken up by a nightmare, she opened her eyes slowly, only greeted by light sunshine that was finding its way into her hospital room. She could still feel the secure grip of a strong hand around her delicate one. She turned to her side, seeing Danny sitting in the chair like he had done when she had fallen asleep.

A light smile lit her face at the sight of the sleeping man, somehow managing to keep on sitting. Carefully she shifted in bed, wincing at the pain this movement immediately caused. As the calming effect of just waking up was slowly fading, she found all the memories rushing back but she refused to let them take over with turning her full attention at the man next to her.

She had told him the rough version of what had happened in te warehouse. Details would follow over the days. The thought that he would listen to her caused a good feeling. Still it wouldn't make bringing all the memories back any easier. But it was definitely helping her.

Lindsay jumped lightly as the door to her hospital room was carefully opened. Don looked into the room, giving her an apologizing smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said quietly. "May I come in?"

Lindsay nodded. "Just try to be quiet. He's sleeping."

Don smiled. As quietly as possible he closed the door before he walked over to the bed and sat down in the other free chair standing next to it. "Doesn't surprise me he's fallen asleep," he said then. "He's been awake non stop for the last three days."

"All the time?" Lindsay asked.

Don nodded. "He's been going crazy because he wanted to find you. Again that doesn't surprise me. You'd be amazed by how much this man cares for you."

Once again Lindsay smiled, her cheeks flushing a bit. "Well, that's what friends do. I care for him a lot as well."

Don chuckled. "One day the two of you will stop this 'we're just friends' thing and you'll admit what all of us know already anyway."

Lindsay's cheeks reddened even more. "Did you come here to tell me that?" she asked, trying to change the topic.

Don smiled. "No. Actually I came here to check how you are."

"Getting better," Lindsay replied. She didn't bother to fake a smile for Don. She knew it wouldn't convince him. But as much as she trusted in him as well, she wasn't ready for any further explanations yet. "Did you find any evidence already?"

Don nodded. "Even better. He confessed it already. He won't leave the prison for a pretty long time, believe me."

Lindsay nodded as well. She had hoped for such an answer, but actually getting it was more relieving than she had expected. There was one more question that was bugging her though. "Why did he do that?" she wanted to know.

"I think we save the long version for when you're up and better again," Don answered. "He tried to show his opinion to us in a whole wrong way, let me tell you so much. But he'll get what he deserves for what he's done."

Once again Lindsay nodded. "I think that's enough for now."

"I also have to head back to work," Don told her then, already moving to get up again. "Just wanted to let you know that this person won't get anywhere close to you again. And I'm supposed to tell you to get fit again as soon as possible. We want you to come back as soon as you can."

Lindsay chuckled. "I'll try my best. Thank you, Don."

"You're more than welcome," he answered. With those words he left the hospital room again, as quickly as he had entered it. Barely he had closed the door though as Lindsay felt a movement next to her. Turning back to Danny she found him blinking. He yawned lightly before he opened his eyes completely and looked at her sleepily.

"Hey," he said, yawning again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's fine," she answered. "I'd rather say you need a bit more sleep." She paused. "Don was just here. They caught him." Once again she hesitated before she added, "So...if you want to go home..."

"No way," he replied instantly. "I'll stay here with you."

Lindsay smiled lightly at the warmth his words caused inside her. A warmth that party managed to push the mix of exhaustion and a deeper fear that was still bothering her aside, at least for a while.

"Then at least share the bed with me and try to get some sleep," she suggested. "Because three days without any isn't good for you. I know what I'm talking about."

Danny gazed back at her, seeming to debate what to reply. Lindsay hoped he understood that even if she wouldn't make him stay, she was more than glad to have him around. She was still struggling with the dull feeling that was filling her, with the memories that constantly tried to push their way back into her mind so forcefully. His presence made it easier for her and she hoped he was aware of how grateful she was for the fact that he took the time to be there for her.

"So you want me in your bed, Montana?" he replied then, giving her a smile.

Once again she chuckled lightly as she moved closer to one side, giving him space to lie down. "I should have expected such a comment," she said as they settled down and adjusted their position.

"Of course. I mean you know me," he replied with a friendly wink.

With that Danny rested his arm around her shoulders, gently gesturing her to move closer. Lindsay lay down, resting her head on his chest. Instinctively he held her a bit closer. It was a moment that gave her more comfort than any spoke word could. And it made her believe that maybe Don wasn't that wrong with his opinion about them.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you so very much again for those wonderful reviews! You guys are fantastic! Special thanks to dannymesserforever11, afrozenheart412, rapidtetv, NorthernLights25, Dine89, SMacked Hard and rhymenocerous!**

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**He had been sleeping for a while, getting the rest he had needed so badly. A nurse had come into the room and had found them sharing the hospital bed. With a smile she had acted like she had seen nothing and left again, believing that possibly this closeness, even though he wasn't supposed to lie in her bed, would be good for her.

Anyway Danny managed to wake up while Lindsay was still asleep. He needed a bit to remember where he was an for a second a rush of adrenaline filled him as he thought of the man who had been threatening a whole city. Soon the rush of fear was replaced by endless relief though as his thoughts continued and he remembered that said man was no longer a danger for anyone.

Sighing lightly, he lay back down, as good as even possible in this bed without causing one of them to fall out of it. Carefully he tightened his arms around her. Squirming lightly, she snuggled closer into him instantly.

A smile lit Danny's face as he looked down at the woman in his arms. He had secretly hoped that she wouldn't push him away after they had found her. After such a traumatic experience he wouldn't have been surprised by such a reaction. Many people had problems with having others around after having to go through something like that. He had hoped that at least to one of them she would open up. Even more he had wished that he could be this person, even though he didn't know how exactly to treat her.

Obviously she had believed he knew though as her full attention had turned to him ever since they had found her. She seemed to trust enough in him even to share the rough story of what had happened in the warehouse with him. And now was accepting him so close next to her.

Danny was glad the responsible cop was in prison now and that Mac had been leading the interrogation because he knew he wouldn't have been able to do that. So far neither of them knew why this man had done what he had done, but Danny also didn't care. No motive justified such actions.

Turning his attention back to Lindsay, Danny watched her sleep. Obviously she hadn't woken up again after they both had fallen asleep as she hadn't moved an inch from where she had been. He was glad about that, was also aware of the fact that it possibly wouldn't stay like that. She would certainly have nightmares again and he would have to be there for her.

Now though she was sleeping peacefully. He tried to ignore the bruises on her rosy face as he ran a thumb over her smooth cheek and then let his hand slide through her curly hair. The sight of her snuggling against him warmed his heart and he felt the wish to just keep on holding her like that and never doing anything else again.

His own cheeks flushed lightly as he caught himself thinking that. Of course he was aware of the fact that Don was convinced there was more between him and Lindsay than friendship. Not that his friend believed they had a sexual relationship going or anything else. But the connection they shared was a lot closer than with any other friend. It also wasn't the sister-like relationship he shared with Aiden. It was something else and he was reaching a point where he was willing to admit that they shared really intense feelings that had very little to do with friendship.

Lost in his thoughts he was surprised at the sudden movement coming from the woman in his arms. Focussing on her again, Danny realised that his wish she would stay free of nightmares had been nothing else than a wish indeed. Every of her movements told him how frightened she was as she was mumbling things he couldn't understand.

"Lindsay? Hey, wake up, you're just dreaming," he told her, quietly not scare her even more. "Come on, wake up, please."

He had to try a few times. Then without a warning her eyes flew open and she shot up in bed, almost knocking him over. Lindsay moved to get up from the bed but with quickly closing his arms around her to keep her in place, he prevented her from doing that. In fear she screamed at the grip, trying to fight herself free.

"Let me go!" her frightened voice pleaded as she fought against him, clearly not fully awake yet.

"Shh, it's alright, it's just me," Danny said softly, holding her despite her fighting in an attempt to calm her down again. "It's just me, everything's alright. No one's going to hurt you here. Everything's alright."

It took her at least another minute until Lindsay turned to Danny and stared at him with huge eyes, obviously finally fully awake. She was breathing heavily, shivering lightly. It broke his heart to see her like that and to know that his suspicion had been right. Moments like this would happen more often and just the thought of her having to go through one of them alone frightened him.

"It's okay, you're save," he told her. "Do you remember where you are?"

Lindsay nodded and to his surprise she blushed. "I'm sorry," she answered quietly as she collapsed back against his chest, her arms wrapping around him tightly as she pressed herself against him. "I didn't know it's you."

"That's really nothing to apologize for," Danny replied. Soothingly he started to run his hand up and down her back, feeling how she visibly relaxed at that. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "Not now. You know what's been happening already anyway."

Danny nodded. "Alright." For now the rough story also was enough for him. She would share the details later, but from what he had heard so far he could imagine those pretty well. He held her close for a while, not saying a word for minutes before he spoke again. "I can imagine it's also not so nice to sleep in a hospital. But I guess you'll soon be allowed to go home again."

He expected a response from her, didn't get any though. Instead she remained lying in his arms, not saying a single word. "You are looking forward to going home, right?" he added, just to be sure.

Again Lindsay was quiet before she answered his question. "I'm not sure actually," she told him.

Carefully freeing himself of her tight grip, Danny pulled her back a bit so he could gaze at her. "How do you mean?" he wanted to know.

Lindsay shrugged. "Over here there's at least always someone if I want something. You are here as well. At home...well, it'll be just fine." She tried to give him a light smile but failed.

This reaction Danny hadn't been prepared for. He had imagined she would be happy to leave the hospital again. "What's wrong with your home?"

"Nothing," she answered quietly. "It's just...I'll be alone there all the time. See...I...well, it's been just three days but...well, I felt like the loneliest person on this planet. This man never responded to me at all. He locked me in tiny rooms, sometimes they were completely dark. I was feeling like...well, like I was completely isolated from everything and everyone. Of course I've been alone much before. I'm living alone for who knows how many years. But...being alone in those rooms, especially when I couldn't even see anything...just scared me. Then when I woke up here and again no one was there I panicked until I could hear you and Don talking outside my room. I just don't want to think of how it'll be like to wake up at my place. Or have to be alone all day." Once again she blushed. "I know it's stupid."

Danny stared at her in surprise. Surprise because he hadn't thought of that before. He could imagine that she was scared to be alone though. Being locked in those tiny, completely dark rooms which Don had described had to be frightening, especially when one had to stay in there for hours. Don had told him he had just been in there for a minute and couldn't stand it anymore. Being in her situation had to be even worse.

"It's not stupid at all," he told her then. "Not at all, you hear me? I can understand you don't want to be alone at your place and to be honest, if you have more of those nightmares I'm not sure it's a good decision anyway."

Lindsay nodded. She gave him a weak smile. "Problem is I have to stay somewhere, so I'll just get used to it."

"You could also stay at my place," Danny suggested before he even knew what he was saying. It was her surprised expression that made him realise what he had said. Once again his subconsciousness had spoken and so the question whether he really wanted her to stay at his place or not wasn't up to debate. "If you don't want to be alone maybe it'd make you feel better to stay at a friend's place ," he added then. "And...well, if you want you can stay at my apartment for a while, until you believe you want to live on your own again. It wouldn't matter how long you stay, even if it's for months."

Her expression seemed to get more surprised by the second. "Are you sure?" she asked disbelieving.

He nodded. "Yeah. In fact I'd be glad if you chose to stay at my place instead of your own apartment because that way I know you're fine and...well, sometimes it's kinda good to have someone around when you had a bad dream and calling someone is different to having someone there." He blushed lightly. "If you want of course. If you rather want to be alone or stay at someone else's place that is perfectly fine as well."

And once again Lindsay surprised Danny as she gave him a tiny smile, this time not a faked one. "If I wanted to stay at someone's place, it would be yours," she told him. "And if this is really okay to you, I'd be glad if we could do it like that."

Danny smiled himself, relieved by her answer. "Then Don and I will pick some of your stuff up so we can right go to my place when they release you here. How does that sound?"

"Really great," she answered.

"Fine, then that's our plan," he replied with his smile widening a bit.

Lindsay nodded and once again wrapped her arms around him so snuggle back against him. His arms closed around her like it was an instinct already. Danny was glad he had made this suggestion. It was the best for the both of them, from that he was convinced.

* * *

"Do you think it was really a good idea?" Danny asked as he and Don carried the box filled with clothes into his apartment.

"Why do you ask?" Don wanted to know. "Don't you want to have her here?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "You know it's not that, you clown. I'm just wondering if I pushed her into that or anything. Maybe she would have rather liked to stay with someone else and just said she'd stay here to not...well, whatever to not hurt my feelings or something."

Don looked at Danny with raised eyebrows, shaking his head in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?" he replied. "When will you finally get it? You're the person she trusts in the most and not only because it was you who found her. The two of you are so close, of course she wants to stay here. She knows you'll be there for her and she's not ashamed to cry in front of you or to talk to you about things that frighten her. Suggesting she could stay here while she really doesn't want to be at her own place was one of the nicest things you could have done for her." With a wink he added, "And I'm not just saying that because you're my friend. I know the two of you are close, so stop worrying. Having her stay here for a while is the best idea, believe me."

"Thank you, Don," Danny replied, offering a grateful smile. "Sorry for getting on your nerves with my rambling, I just want to make things right."

"Then maybe I'd start with stopping to fear you could do something wrong," Don suggested. "Even if she didn't say it, she's feeling what you're feeling for her as well. And she trusts in you. She's glad that you're taking care of her and that she can come to you. Obviously you're doing things right, so why not just keep on doing what you're doing all the time? Follow your instinct, in her case it will always make you do the right things. And even if you do something wrong, that's human. The most important thing is that you're there for her when she needs you and that's what you're doing."

It was Danny's turn to raise his eyebrows at his friend. "One day you'll have to admit that in fact you're a psychologist."

Don laughed. "Now stop chatting and lets get the rest of her stuff in here."

Nodding, Danny followed his friend back to the car. Obviously Lindsay was indeed trusting in him and so far all his decisions seemed to have been right. Of course he had done things wrong in the past but no one was perfect. And possibly Don was right. As long as he was showing her that she could count on him, everything was fine.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I want to send huge hugs to all of you again for those wonderful and lovely reviews! Thank you so much! They are so incredibly encouraging! Thanks also to everyone for reading and for adding the fic! Special thanks to webdlfan, afrozenheart412, dannymesserforever11, rapidtetv, Dine89, NorthernLights25 and SMacked Hard!**

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**She was dressed in a plain white t-shirt and jeans. Nothing special, just some clothes so Lindsay could actually step out onto the street which she wouldn't have been able to do in the stuff the hospital had made her wear before. Danny had brough her some of her clothes before he and Don had gotten a few boxes of her belongings to bring them to his apartment.

He had simply placed the shirt and the jeans onto her bed, had given her a smile and left again to hurry back to her apartment. They had agreed to release her from the hospital again and she had to admit that now she was looking forward to it.

The moment Lindsay had moved to get up, she was instantly pulled out of her relief by the pain that rushed through her. Still her rips were aching, so were her badly bruised wrists. Carefully she inched to the edge of the bed. She sighed at the cold of the tiled floor as her bare feet got in contact with them.

It took her a few attempts until Lindsay managed to push herself off of the bed. She squeezed her eyes shut at yet another rush of pain, mixed with the dizziness caused by standing in a straight position again. Carefully she opened her eyes again after a few moments. She tried to ignore the fact that the room seemed to be spinning as she reached behind her and opened the shirt she was wearing. Keeping her eyes focused on the heap of clothes on the bed, she walked over to it with shaking legs.

Clenching her teeth together, she bent forward to pick the shirt up. Once again Lindsay found her hands shaking as she fought against the urge to look at herself. Not only due to the pain she was feeling she was aware of the fact that her entire body was covered in bruises. She didn't want to see any of those, didn't want to see anything that would instantly bring back memories which she was desperately trying to keep hidden in the depth of her mind where they couldn't hurt her. It was worse enough that those attempts at keeping her wall up, at keeping control over herself were working less and less.

It took her a lot of afford to get into her shirt. Without pausing she grabbed the jeans and slid into it as well. Just getting dressed had been exhausting enough for her so that she had to sit down for a moment. Her shaking hands came to rest on her jeans-clad upper thighs. And like always, Lindsay winced at the sight of the dark bruises on her wrists.

_She couldn't move. She was standing in the basin, knowing what would happen next. Her body had been shaking in fear as he had turned the water on and it had started to rush in, filling the basin, reaching her feet, her knees, her hips._

_She couldn't breath, her heart was hammering in her chest as the paralysing fear was taking control over her mind. Screams were erupting from her, echoing through the room, although there was no one who could hear her. Tears were fogging her view as she was fighting against the handcuffs. The metal was digging into her soft skin, her broken rips were making it almost impossible to breath. She had to get out of this basin, had to get free._

_But she couldn't. She couldn't do anything but scream and tear at the handcuffs in a helpless attempt to make the impossible happen._

The racing of her heart caused Lindsay to snap out of her thoughts again forcefully. Pressing one hand against her chest, she breathed in deeply, held the breath for a moment before she released the air again, slowly, to keep control over the rising feeling she knew only too well. Panic. Her whole body was shivering as she was freezing deep inside. Her hands grabbed the blanket she was sitting on, clenching into fists as her breathing turned laboured.

'Calm down, everything's alright,' she told herself, repeating what had been so soothing and comforting when coming from Danny.

Danny, the friend who had stayed at her side ever since the moment he had managed to free her. Who had now offered her to stay at his place. Thinking of him managed to ease the panic that was threatening to take over a little. Closing her eyes for another moment, she continued her controlled breathing which finally had the wished effect and caused her racing heart to return to a normal rhythm.

Lindsay remained sitting on the edge of her bed for another few moments before she slowly got up again. Still on shaky legs she made her way over to the sink to get herself some water. Somehow that always had a calming effect on her. She filled the glass with the crystal clear water and hastily drank it empty, grateful for the cold that was refreshing her.

Her hands hadn't stopped shaking yet as she sat the glass down again. And instincitely she lifted her gaze, finding herself staring at the reflection in the mirror. It was the first time since she had been kidnapped by Officer Quinn that she got a look at herself.

What she saw didn't fail to shock her. It seemed like a stranger was looking back at her. A young woman with a pale face and large, dark brown eyes with not the tiniest bit of a spark or twinkle in them. Her lips were broken from thirst she had been suffering from and instinctively she licked them. Her curly hair was bond back in a ponytail, revealing even more of the bruises that were covering her cheeks, her neck, her forehead. The colour was changing already as they were starting to heal. Nothing could heal the injuries that were hidden behind what was visible to everyone though.

Rising a hand, she let her fingertips brush over the large, dark bruise on her right cheek as she watched her eyes filling with tears until her view was getting blurry again. The injuries which no one could see hadn't healed yet. And wouldn't for a long time.

* * *

He and Don had hurried to get the few belongings she had wished to have over at his place into his apartment. Danny was glad that without wasting much words on it, Mac had allowed him to take some time off so he could take care of Lindsay and help her adjust to the first few hours and days after what had happened to her.

No longer Danny was thinking that he would do something wrong, that he could mess up. Much more worried he was because of her. Lindsay was quiet. That wasn't anything unusual as she wasn't the biggest of a talker anyway. So far he had even gotten more from her than he had expected; at least she had told him a rough draft of the events from the warehouse.

But anyway he got worried at the way she behaved, especially as he had returned to bring her some clothes. She had seemed glad he had returned, had tried to give him a smile. The look in her eyes though had scared him. She wasn't anywhere close to feeling better yet. And he dearly wished he would be able to do anything during the following days, weeks or months that could help her in any possible way.

He hesitated for a moment as he took a deep breath before he opened the door to her room, trying to smile but failing when he didn't see her in her bed. For a second nervousness rushed through him as his eyes darted through the room, just to be replaced by relief when he found her standing at the sink.

The relief didn't last long though as Danny got to see the expression in Lindsay's eyes. And the tears that were glistering in them as her hands were carefully examining her badly bruised face. She hadn't seen herself yet since she had been brought to the hospital. He had to admit that the sight of her injuries kept on making him feel uncomfortable as well, always reminding him of what she had to go through during her time in the warehouse. He assumed she wouldn't feel much different at this sight.

And there he stood, unsure of himself and what to do. He wished to rush over to her, embrace her and tell her that everything would be fine again. Something was holding him back though. Was this really what she needed? Her struggling with her tears was showing him she was fighting hard against with keeping her self control up. He didn't want to ruin that with stepping in and showing her how vulnerable she really was.

Coughing lightly, he announced his presence to her. She tensed at the sound that caused her to snap out of her thoughts. Even from the distance he could see how her face reddened as she realised he had caught her in a state like that.

"Um...so Don and I got your stuff to my place," Danny said as she turned to face him, refusing to make eye contact though. "If everything's alright, we can go now. Did you talk to the doctor again?"

Lindsay's arms crossed in front of her chest. Gazing at the floor in front of her, she nodded. "I'm allowed to go home."

Danny studied her for a moment. The confusion and pain she was feeling was clearly visible in her expression. He assumed she was tortured by the thoughts of the previous days, mixed with all the physical pain she had to go through still. In front of him she tried to hide that still for a reason. It was a natural instinct he thought. After all he knew how complicated it was to open up, especially when it came to such intense feelings.

But no longer he could just stand there and stare. He couldn't pretend like nothing was happening and she was simply behaving normal. She was hurting and even if he didn't want to make her feel like a victim, he didn't want to treat her like she was fine either.

Sighing softly, Danny made his way over to where Lindsay was still standing at the sink, insecurity radiating from her. He stopped inches in front of her. Carefully he rested a hand on her shoulder, allowing her distance for the case she didn't want this closeness. Lindsay looked up at him, her eyes meeting his for the first time since he had entered the room. What he saw in them confirmed what he had expected. She was fighting with herself, trying to prevent the memories from finding their way into her mind. More and more she was failing. He understood her so good. He knew so well how impossible it was to get rid of memories.

He didn't say a word. Silently he closed the distance between them and gently closed his arms around her. Without hesitation she leant in, her arms wrapped around his waist as she snuggled against his chest. Carefully he tightened his grip around the petite body and buried his face in her soft hair.

"I'm tired of this," she mumbled into his shirt, grabbing handfuls of it at his back. Her voice was low, shaking lightly with tears and anger. "The nightmares. The panic. I don't want to feel like that because of one stupid scumbag."

Danny nodded. There wasn't much he could tell her, nothing she knew already anyway and would hear from every second person. "I wish I could just make it better for you," he said, like so many times before soothingly rubbing her back. So much he wished he could indeed do anything. But how was he supposed to help her? How was he supposed to take the memories away? Once again he felt the feeling of being helpless return as he wished he could do more than offering himself as a person to hold her and talk to.

"I want to go home," Lindsay said then, releasing him from her grip. He found her gazing at his chest with reddened cheeks and he found the wet evidence of her tears on the fabric.

"Sounds like a good idea," Danny answered. He could see her embarrassment. He knew telling her that she didn't have to feel like that wouldn't make it better either. But once again Don's words found their way into his mind and instead of fighting with himself, he decided to give in to his instinct.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked then. Leaning in, he lowered his voice. "No offence, but hospital food...definitely not the best I could think of. I think a nice pizza would be a lot better."

To his relief he noticed the hint of a smile tearing at the corners of her mouth as she glanced up at him briefly. "Pizza sounds nice to me," she said.

Danny smiled at her. "Perfect. Then why don't we go home now, order a pizza and then start unpacking your stuff? And after that we'll eat the pizza and watch some random stuff on TV. A nice, lazy evening."

Happiness filled him as this time he really got a tiny smile from Lindsay. "I like the idea," she replied softly. She paused for a moment and added, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he answered.

With that Danny took her hand and grabbed her bag before he and Lindsay walked out of the hospital room to head home. They would have enough time to talk. When there was the right moment for that. Sometimes though a little distraction was needed more than any deep conversation.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: And again I have a new chapter for you! Actually I have a couple of more new chapters for you, but I can't post them all at once, right? ;) Thanks to everyone for the lovely reviews! Please keep on doing that, it's always nice to see what you think and it's very encouraging! Special thanks to afrozenheart412, Dine89, SMacked Hard and dannymesserforever11!**

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**The tension between them was clearly to feel. She hadn't spoken a word since they had left the hospital. Lindsay was sitting in the passenger's seat, her head resting against the window as she was gazing out into the streets, without actually seeing anything Danny assumed.

She was tired despite all the time she had been sleeping at the hospital. Then again she had woken up a couple of times and hadn't managed to sleep much without any interruptions. She had to go through a lot in the past three days and it was for sure that her body needed some rest now.

Whenever possible, Danny threw quick glances at her. His worry was increasing. He could handle it if she was showing any emotions. He could calm her down if she was nervous or frightened. He could comfort her if she was crying. He cold hold her if she needed him to. But what was he supposed to do when she didn't do anything? When she was sitting in the passenger's seat, staring out of the window, not saying a word?

It was her way to deal with her current situation and Danny could understand her. After Louie had been beaten up and ended up in coma, he had also not been able to speak about that in front of anyone at first. Apart from Mac in front of who he had broken down once. But that aside, he had tried to hide his emotions. No word, no tear, no break down or anything else that could reveal what was happening deep inside him. He didn't want to share those feelings with anyone who wouldn't understand him anyway. He didn't want to hear how poor he was, how much he was suffering; all that he knew himself.

But still a certain someone hadn't allowed him to pull back from everyone completely. He had shut them all out, but Lindsay hadn't accepted that. Carefully and with a lot of empathy she had signalled him that she wasn't going to pitty him, wouldn't give him wise advice. This gentle approach had given him the chance to slowly let her in and somewhere along the line he had told her his story with Louie and how the recent events had hurt him in a way he had never expected.

Lindsay had made sure he had understood that talking about even the most difficult situations wasn't anything bad. Now Danny found her in exactly the same situation he had been in himself, talking wise. What had happened to her was entirely different to his own experiences. This didn't change that she was trying to handle thing all by her own. And he wasn't sure if this was a good idea.

"Is something wrong?" Lindsay asked, interrupting him in his thoughts. He hadn't realised she had gazed at him briefly and had found him watching her.

Quickly turning his attention back to the street, he blushed lightly. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I know this look," she replied. "You always look like that when you're worried. There's no reason to worry though. At least not regarding me."

Of course she had read his mind. The soft tone of her voice revealed to him that his worries weren't unnecessary though. She was trying hard to keep her voice steady and strong. Still she couldn't hide the little shaking that didn't stay unnoticed to his well trained ears.

Danny released a light sigh. "Lindsay," he said then, deciding to just speak out what he had in mind. "See...I won't say I know how you're feeling right now, because I don't. I've never been in your situation. But I know how it feels like when you believe that you can't talk about something. For various reasons. You think no one would understand you, that no one has any idea what you're going through. You're tired of hearing that everyone's sorry. It's not going to make you feel any better. Maybe you also think no one cares for what you have to tell." He paused. "Or you just hope that if you don't talk about it and try to not think about it, it'll just go away. One day, when all the visible injuries have healed, you'll not have to think about it anymore. You try to act like nothing ever happened. But we both know it won't work. You can try to suppress it as much as you want, but you can't forget."

Once again he used his chance at a red traffic light to look at her. Lindsay was staring out of the front window. Only looking closely confirmed what he knew already. She was fighting. Fighting with those walls that weren't solid at all. Closing her eyes briefly, she sighed as she pressed herself back into her seat.

"I'm fine," she managed to say between clenched teeth. "You don't have to tell me what I should do best." Once again she looked at Danny, giving him a weak smile. "I know you want to help me. You want to do what I did when you didn't want to talk about Louie. But you don't have to tell me what to do, okay? I just...don't want that right now."

Danny nodded. He couldn't deny he had hoped that she would take the offer and would be as open as she had been in the hospital, even though back then she hadn't been able to reveal much more either. He knew he had to be patient. Lindsay needed her time. Talking about those three days surely was tough. He had talked to a lot of people who had to go through traumatic experiences, who had broken down during interrogations and had hardly managed to speak out what was so hard to accept.

She wasn't any different than those people right now and accepting that someone so close to him had to face something like that wasn't easy to accept for him either. It was a challenge to wait and let her take the time she needed. He knew that if he didn't want to lose her trust, he had to give her this time and accept the fact that she couldn't get over what was holding her back for now.

* * *

When she had heard that she was allowed to leave the hospital again, Lindsay had been nervous and hesitant. As much as she tried, she couldn't deny that she was frightened by the thought of being alone in her apartment. So Danny's suggestion to move in with him had been the best idea he could have had.

Anyway the hoped relief didn't arise. Even though he tried it, Danny couldn't fully hide the fact he kept on watching her and his words had revealed what she had already expected. He was worried. Because of her. She knew he wished she would talk to him. Lindsay even wished that herself. But even if she opened her mouth and tried to speak out what she had in mind, so words would leave her lips.

He had accepted her wish, even though she could feel it hadn't been easy for him either. Still a dull feeling was filling her, mixed with the pain she was still suffering from. But next to that his presence and his behaviour added the hint of a warmth to it that made her feel at least a bit better.

"Here we are," Danny announced as he led himself and her into his apartment. It wasn't the first time she was there as she had visited him before. Knowing that for a while she would live at this place though was a whole different situation. And for the first time in hours, Lindsay felt like she was at a place where she could feel well.

"I know, not the biggest apartment ever," Danny continued, giving her a light smile. "But it might be fine for now. Your clothes are in the bedroom. You can have my bed, I'll sleep on the couch."

Lindsay blinked in surprise. "What? No, you won't sleep on your couch in your own apartment. I can do that, I don't have to sleep in your bed."

Danny raised his eyebrows at her. "You don't really believe I'd let you sleep on the couch? Apart from the fact that you're my guest, you have broken rips and...well, a couple of injuries. You should really not sleep on a couch. Ah!" He silented her with rising his hand as she wanted to contradict. "No, you'll sleep in my bed. I want you to rest and relax. I doubt you can really do that on a couch."

Lindsay didn't know what to respond to that. She would indeed rather sleep in a bed; she could barely keep herself on standing and needed a real nap and every breath was already enough to make her rips ache. She knew Danny wanted her to take his offer. "But I don't feel comfortable with knowing you sleep on here," she said, nodding her head towards the coach.

Danny gave her a warm smile. "Then you'll have to get used to it, because I won't accept any answer than 'yes'."

She couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Fine, before we start arguing."

"I'd never argue with you, Montana," he replied with a wink.

She nodded. Still standing in the middle of the living room, she let her eyes wander through it until she found the door of the bathroom. "Would you mind if I had a little shower?" she asked then. Her cheeks flushed a bit as she added, "I'm still smelling like a hospital and...last time I got in contact with any water was...well."

"Of course," he answered. "Towels and everything is in the bathroom already. I'll just order the pizza while you're in there."

Once again Lindsay nodded. She watched how Danny got up and headed into the kitchen. He was trying to ease the tension and turn the situation into a normal and comfortable one. Still all those confusing and painful feelings were bugging her but she knew that if there was a place where she would be able to deal with them, it was at his place. And so she headed into the bathroom for a hopefully refreshing shower.

* * *

Patience was something Danny had to learn but for Lindsay he was determined to control himself. She needed support, and not what he possibly imagined was right for her.

As he could hear the rushing of his shower and the changing of the sound as she stepped under the spray, he ordered their pizza and looked through his fridge on search for something to drink. A beer might have been good to calm her nerves but as she was still on painkillers, this was no option.

A few minutes later, he was sitting on the living room couch, his current bed, two bottles of clear water on the coffee table and the TV switched on. And he waited. He didn't bother to concentrate on the TV show that was on. Instead he listened closely for any sign if Lindsay was still showering. For a while he could still hear the sound of a person under the shower spray. But then there was nothing else but rushing water. And once again the worry returned.

Turning back to the TV, Danny tried to find his rising feelings down. Lindsay was just having a shower. There was nothing special about that. Anyway the worry was increasing and after another couple of minutes, nothing could hold him on the couch anymore. He made his way over to the bathroom, hesitantly stopped in front of the door though.

Should he just go in there or wait? What if he caught her undressed, only because he had been overly worried? Briefly he debated what to do before he spoke. "Montana?" he asked. "I...uh...was wondering if you need much longer as the pizza should arrive soon." He winced at his lame excuse.

She didn't answer. Of course it was possible she hadn't even heard him. But still Danny's instinct was telling him a different story. "Everything alright in there?" Still hesitant, he grabbed the doorhandle. The shower kept on running. "Montana, I'll come in now."

Carefully he pushed the doorhandle down and opened the door, still allowing her a chance to tell him to go away. But no response came. Danny pushed the door further open. And realised that once again his instinct hadn't betrayed him.

"Oh Montana," he sighed softly. She was sitting on the floor next to the still running shower, one of the large towels wrapped around her wet, bruised body. Her face was buried in the soft fabric, her knees pulled up to her chest as she was shaking lightly.

Without saying a word, Danny made his way over to the shower and turned it of before he knelt down next to her. Gently he rested a hand on Lindsay's shoulder, relieved finding her not pulling back.

"I think we'll find a better place for that than the bathroom floor," he told her, his voice as low and calming as even possible.

She lifted her head and gazed up at him, her reddened, her face wet with tears. "Do you still want to listen to me?" she asked quietly.

"Definitely," he replied.

Lindsay nodded. Willingly she allowed Danny to help her to get up. He wasn't going to ask questions. He would simply listen to whatever she had to tell. Because she was the one who decided what she needed from him. And he was willing to give her just that.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Oops, took me a bit to update. ;) But here's finally a new chapter for you! I hope you'll like it! Thank you so much for the lovely support! Special thanks to rhymenocerous, afrozenheart412, Dine89, dannymesserforever11, Jupitor's-Cowgirl and SMacked Hard!**

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**They were sitting on his living room couch, both in silence for several minutes already. All the time Danny had felt that there was more behind Lindsay's behaviour and that it was only a question of time until she wouldn't be able to keep her feelings all to herself anymore. Either she would ask him to listen or it would all break out of her.

It had happened sooner than he had expected. The sight of her sitting on his bathroom floor, crying had been one of the most heartbreaking situations he had been in up to then. To him it only showed what was really happening deep inside her. Lindsay had one thing in common with him; she didn't show her feelings. Rarely at least. Of course there were times where they got out, where she couldn't hide when she was angry or when she was affected by something. But usually he found her smiling, friendly, happy, nothing revealing that maybe she was looking differently inside.

So far Danny hadn't spent too much time on wondering if she was really always that happy and relaxed like she pretended to be. Now that he knew that even after a traumatic experience like she managed to hide her thoughts at least for a while made him wonder. If she hadn't agreed to stay at his place, he would have missed this break down. Possibly she would have dealt with it all by her own. And the next day she would have shown up at work, possibly not with a smile but with an expression that told him not to ask how she was because to everyone else she was fine.

It was complicated and still he was hesitant with his actions. At least Lindsay had gotten to a point where she had asked him if she could talk to him. Of course he would listen to her. How much support she was willing to accept though only time would tell.

Currently she was sitting on his living room couch, not wrapped into his thick, white bathing robe in which she almost seemed to be disappearing. The large robe seemed to offer the needed warmth and comfort though as she at least had stopped shivering. Still she looked smaller than ever with her legs pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them tightly, her chin resting on her knees.

"You sure you want to talk to me?" Danny wanted to know.

Lindsay gazed up at him. "Are you sure you want to listen?"

"Of course," he said determined. "That's why I offered it. I just want you to know that I'm not forcing you into anything. We can talk when you're ready for that."

"And when is that supposed to be?" Lindsay asked back. Her voice was still so low that he had problems with understanding her. Her eyes kept on fluttering as she was struggling with exhaustion. Once again he felt the strong urge to grab her and hold her tight, making sure no one would ever be able to hurt her again, showing her that he would protect her. He knew though that this wasn't what she wanted. She was looking for comfort, but she was a strong woman and she didn't wish for protection, even if she might need it in some moments.

"I also don't think it's your job to bother with my problems. You offered me your apartment already," she said then and moved to get up. But before she could stand, he had gently grabbed her and pulled her back down onto her seat.

"You know that's nonsense, right?" he stated more than he asked as she gave him a questioning look. "I'm your friend, it's not up to debate for me whether I'll be here for you or not. So if you believe you want to talk now, do it. I'm here, I'll stay here, I'm not bothered by you and I'll just listen."

Lindsay kept on staring at him for a while before she looked away again. Resting her chin back onto her knees, she focused on the coffee table in front of her. Danny could sense she was close to opening up, so he remained quiet, waiting for her to make the first step.

"I can't make it stop," she whispered then. "I...can't stop thinking about it. I'm safe now, why can't I stop thinking about it? Why does it keep on bugging me? Why can't I just leave it behind?"

"It's been yesterday, Lindsay," Danny replied softly. "How are you supposed to get over it that quickly? It takes time. You had to go through something horrible and frightening. You have to give yourself time."

"But I don't want that," she said, with a hint of anger in her voice now. Her delicate hands clenched into tight fists as she wrapped her arms tighter around her legs. "I have to go back to work. I can't just break down every few minutes because something reminds me of what happened. I got nervous when I woke up in this hospital room because I thought I was alone and only could calm down when I knew someone was outside my room. I could only really sleep when you were around. I...started to panic under the shower. What else will happen? Can't I go anywhere without suddenly being hit by a panic attack?" Her fists were shaking. "This person is in jail and still he's having power over me. I...just want forget all this and go back to ho I've been before. I don't want all this shit. I don't want all those sympathetic looks, those smiles from people who want to pretend that everything is fine while it's not. I don't want them to think 'oh, there is the poor victim'. I know it's not people's fault to think that but...I just don't want to be in this situation because of one insane man who believed he had the right to torture me for three days. I...don't want him to have the power to make me feel like that for who knows how long!"

Danny nodded. He could imagine she had a problem with being in the role of a victim. After all who of them would want to be in this situation? Her anger was more than understandable for him. There wasn't much he could reply to her words. She knew he was sorry for her. Possibly didn't even want to know that in the first place. Instead he reached out, gently taking one of her hands into his. Her fist loosened and he managed to open her fingers to hold her hand. Her other one she ran through her hair, groaning lightly.

"See...I'm really not a psychologist or anyone who knows how to react perfectly in such a situation," he replied then, deciding to simply be honest to her. "To tell you the truth, all I want is to help you in some way without making you feel miserable. I can understand you hate this situation. I wish I could say anything really smart that could help you, but...unfortunately I can only try and offer you support. I doubt it'll make all the pain go away, but maybe it helps you to speak about it. I don't believe there is a way you can just forget those three days, especially not that soon after it. But maybe it'd be good for you if we spoke about it. I have really no idea, I didn't learn how to...help someone in your situation. All I can do is giving you advice. It's what you did as well. You said I have to talk. Maybe it works. At least just a little bit."

Honesty was something Danny didn't have a problem with. He knew he wasn't perfect. All he wanted to do was helping her, but he had no idea which actions would be perfect. Then again if she needed a perfect treatment, she would go to see a therapist. Currently she wanted him by her side and so all he could do was trying to give her his advice, hoping that maybe she could use them.

Lindsay kept on looking at him for a couple of moments, studying him. "You don't have to be a professional," she stated. "Believe it or not but you're doing good."

He offered a soft smile. "Then maybe try my advice and talk?"

Lindsay sighed and leant back against the couch. For the first time since they had arrived in the living room, she was sitting properly. "It's not easy," she admitted. "See...I just wish I could forget it, but you're right, it's not working. Whenever I think it's getting better, it all comes back." She sighed.

"Would you like to tell me more about what happened during those three days?" Danny wanted to know.

She was quiet again for a while. "I can't tell you what he did when," she started then. "I didn't even know it was three days. It felt like weeks. He's locked me up in a room. He left me there most of the time. I didn't get any water or food, I wasn't allowed to sleep. I guess he watched me because whenever I got sleepy, he blasted music at me for hours straight. Then he locked me up in a tiny room where I could only stand in and switched the lights off. I...was so tired, it was hurting to stand in there for hours without being able to move. I was...panicking in there because I didn't see anything. Then he dragged me out of there again and beat me up. Or he attacked me with an electric shocker. And all the time...whenever I was pleading he would stop, he didn't react. He only stared at me, but he never said a single word. I...had no idea what he was thinking or what he'd do next. Until he...handcuffed me to this basin."

Her voice was shaking through her entire description and as her voice trailed off, she had started to shiver again lightly. It was a sight that was hardly bearable for him, so was what she had told him. Just hearing the pure description, mixed with the fear in her voice, was enough to make him shudder. He didn't dare to imagine her in this warehouse, having to go through all that all by her own, without any idea when she would get out of this situation again and how that was supposed to happen. He could only imagine the fear that had been constantly part of her, for three entire days. Even now that she was back home and this person was in prison, it didn't mean those three days were forgotten. Feelings like that couldn't be forgotten that easily. As much as he had tried, he couldn't keep the distance between them any longer and so moved closer. Gently he rested his arm around her shoulders, not pulling her closer but at least offering a bit more physical closeness to ease her shivering.

"I know you might not want to hear that," Danny spoke then. "But...well, I'm sorry. I wish we would have prevented this from happening. Or that we could have found your faster."

"I'm just glad you did," she replied with a weak smile, just a bit leaning into his light embrace.

He nodded. "One more thing I'd like to tell you," he said then. "Don't ever feel like you're weak. What you had to go through was horrible and I don't want to imagine how I would have reacted in your situation. You're so much stronger than you think. Of course it'll take its time until you'll not be that affected anymore that you can mind you all day business. But I know that you can do that. There's nothing wrong with breaking down after something like that. Or with crying. I don't want you ever to feel embarrassed because of that again. And I also don't want you to believe that anyone thinks you're weak or poor. Of course we're all sorry because of what you had to go through. But all of us have high respect for how you're handling this."

Lindsay looked back at him and once again Danny wondered what she was thinking. Still he could see all the pain in those beautiful brown eyes as he assumed all those memories kept on rushing through her mind. Then, to his surprise, she offered the tiniest hint of a smile. "For someone who doesn't know what to say, you're surprisingly good in finding the right words," she replied then. She paused for another moment before she added, "So when will the pizza arrive?"

Danny didn't need to hear more to understand the hint. The conversation was over for now. He wasn't going to question her. She was talking how much she wanted to and he would listen. Obviously she had understood that she could talk to him about what had happened to her when she felt like it and the more he knew about the situation the better he could understand her reactions to thoughts of it. But he understood when she needed a break. Possibly now was the right moment to ease the tension a bit again. There were times in which they could have serious conversations but just as much they needed times in which they could push the seriousness aside.

"I don't know, but if the delivery boy doesn't show up here soon, I'll call them again," he said. "I've also been looking for something nice to watch, but there's only crap on. You want to watch a movie maybe?"

"Only if I can pick it," she answered with a light smile. "And...thank you."

"No worries," he replied with a nod. "But don't dare to choose one of those overly romantic ones."

Danny smiled as Lindsay chuckled softly at his words. It was a long and rocky path for them. But the fact that somehow they seemed to have the gift to understand each other so well was helping and he would use his instinct to keep on supporting her.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: And finally a new chapter for my sweet followers! ;) Thank you so much for all the support, you guys are wonderful! I hope you'll continue! Special thanks to SMacked Hard, rapidtetv, afrozenheart412, rhymenocerous and Dine89!**

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**"Isn't that the best pizza ever?" Danny asked as he set the carton onto the coffee table and opened it. Instantly the familiar smell of warm pizza greeted Lindsay and the sight of it made it hard for her to not just grab it and eat it all by her own. "Much better than the food at the hospital."

"Definitely," she answered, licking her lips. "Would you mind?"

He chuckled. "Just eat. But be careful, alright? Not too fast."

Lindsay raised her eyebrows at him in amusement. "And you're telling me that why?"

"Well, you had to hunger for a few days. It's not good to eat too much too fast then. Your stomach needs to get used to that first again," Danny replied. She didn't miss that he looked uncomfortable at bringing up this topic again. It wasn't easy to avoid though.

"That might be a good idea," she agreed with him then and picked the first slize of pizza up. Indeed she had to slow herself down though as she tried not to eat too fast. Three days of hunger and thirst had been torture on its own.

Danny took a piece as well before he leant back next to her. One arm was resting around her shoulders gently then and instinctively she leant in. Lindsay was tired. After those three days that had been messing with her in so many ways it was difficult for her to fall asleep although her body was screaming for that. Usually she didn't manage to stay calm enough to sleep longer than a few hours straight and when she was awake, she feared to fall asleep, knowing that somewhere along the line she would have to face another nightmare again.

Resting against his side though had a surprisingly strong and calming effect on her. Her break down in his bathroom had come hard and unexpected. All the time she had sensed that she was the furthest from being okay. She was glad that she didn't have to stay at the hospital any longer and to her relief she didn't have to go to her own apartment where she would be lonely either. Still the dull feeling and the strong lump in her throat had stayed. He had tried to be gentle and had attempted at easing the situation.

The moment she had entered his bathroom though, things had changed. On purpose Lindsay had avoided looking at her face in the mirror again. Every bruise had a history, every bruise would remind her of the way she had been beaten up by this man. Removing her clothes had been painful, but the shower itself had topped it all.

The sound of rushing water had caused a strong fear to return, with a force that had almost made it impossible for Lindsay to step under the shower spray. Forcefully she had tried to not look at herself; she didn't want to see all those bruises that were covering every inch of her body. Touching them and feeling them hurt was already bad enough.

Hesitantly she had stepped under the water, had shuddered the moment she had felt it on her head. Quickly she had washed her hair, as fast as even possible to get her head out of the water. When she was about to wash the rest of her body though, enough damage was done already. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest, her body was shivering as yet another panic attack was rising, getting stronger and stronger until it washed through her like an ice cold wave. Barely she had managed to get herself out of the shower and grab a towel in a hurry before she had already sunk to the tiled bathroom floor and curled up in a ball in an attempt to ease the paralysing fear that was grasping her so tightly.

They had talked. Still Lindsay found it hard to even recall the events from those three days. Just having them in mind was painful enough. Creating words to describe them currently seemed to be almost impossible. It had worked though and Danny had listened to her. It felt good to know that he knew her story now and it relieved her that one person understood her actions a bit better. Anyway she was exhausted now by her previous break down and more than grateful for the closeness he was offering.

"Is everything alright?" Danny's soft voice interrupted her in her thoughts. Lindsay gazed up at him, finding him watching her closely. It was just then that she realised she hadn't moved an inch in minutes, hadn't eaten a bit of her slize of pizza.

"I'm fine, no worries," she answered, trying to give him a little smile in response. "I guess I'm just tired. It's been a hard day."

Danny nodded in understanding. "It really was. Maybe we should just watch the movie tomorrow or any other day. Eat as much as you want until you're full and we'll get you to bed. How does that sound?"

Lindsay's cheeks flushed lightly. "I don't actually know if I can sleep. Maybe I should just stay awake until I faint or something."

Danny raised his eyebrows at her. "No, you'll sleep. The doctors gave you some nice pills that will make it easier for you to fall asleep and stay asleep for a while. You're tired, you need to rest. There's still a lot of catching up you have to do."

"I hope so," she said with a light sigh. Once again she felt her cheeks flush lightly as she glanced up at the man next to her, holding her close with his arm around her. It felt good to be so close to him. It felt good to know he was there and willing to support her. Anyway a disturbing voice kept on yelling at her and she couldn't prevent her from speaking out what it made her think.

"But you know you don't have to do all that, right?" she asked. "I mean...taking care of me, staying here with me, listening to all of that. To me it seems like you feel responsible for me, but you're not. I'm grateful that you offered me to stay at your place but you don't have to spend all the time with me." Her voice was getting quieter during her speech as she saw the look he was giving her. "What?"

"I can't believe you're seriously saying that," Danny replied. "I think I told you more than often enough that I want to be there to support you. Yeah, I do feel responsible for you. But there is nothing wrong with that. I want to be the one supporting you. For the case you didn't notice it yet, but I think there is something special between us. Something that's keeping us so close, that makes us care for each other so much. You didn't back off when Louie ended up at the hospital. You also told me that no matter what I'd tell you, you'd still be there because even if you weren't responsible for me, you wanted to be there. That's the way I'm feeling as well. I know I don't have to do this, but I want to. I think I told you that a couple of times by now. So please stop all the worrying and just let me be here. No matter what I do, I'm doing it because I want to do it. Not because I think I have to. Alright?"

Lindsay sighed lightly. He was just as stubborn as her. She had seen them back then with Louie. It had been hard to get through to him but it had worked. Just as successful he seemed to be now.

"I think your plan sounds good," she said then.

Danny nodded satisfied. "Then keep on eating and then we can hopefully get some sleep."

* * *

_The fear was barely bearable as he dragged her with him. She knew what was awaiting her again; darkness, silence. She tried to fight against him, but the cop was stronger. Forcefully he pushed her into the tiny room and closed the door, leaving her in complete darkness. Tears started to stream down her face as she heard the metallic sound of the key in the lock, being turned around, making sure she didn't escape._

_But she didn't even have the strength to escape. There she stood, in a pitch black room without the possibility to sit down as it was not much bigger than her. No sound, no smell, nothing. She couldn't see, couldn't hear. And she knew this wouldn't change for hours._

_Her fear was increasing. Her heart was hammering in her chest as her body started to act on its own. Forcefully she started to pound against the door, screaming and sobbing as she tried to make someone hear her, knowing that no one would hear her. That no one would help her._

With a scream, she shot up in bed. With her eyes wide, she stared into the dark, frightened that she still couldn't see more. Her breathing was going so fast that she felt like she was drowning.

Once again panic was filling her as screams continued erupting from her and she tried to free herself of her blanket. She needed to get out of this room, needed to see something, needed to hear something else but her screams. She needed help.

And then she felt how she was grabbed. Strong arms closed around her, causing her fear to increase as she fought back, trying to get away from the person. She was screaming and sobbing, her fear almost overwhelming her. Until she finally realised the person was talking to her.

"Shh, it's me. Calm down, it's just me," Danny whispered softly, despite her fighting keeping her pressed close against his chest. "It was a dream. Just a dream. You're safe, no one can hurt you here. Everything is fine. You're home."

Relief was filling Lindsay at the realisation it was him. Anyway she could barely breath and the darkness was scaring her. "I...need...light," she managed to say between pants and sobs. A moment later the darkness was lit by the lamp on the bedside table, revealing the comfortable bedroom of the man who was holding her. No one else was around, no one else who could try to hurt her.

"I...can't...breath." She kept on panting, grasping his arms tightly now as fear filled her at the lack of oxygen that was filling her lungs. His embrace tightened as he spoke to her softly, trying to calm her down again. The soothing touches, gentle words and the strong embrace then slowly started to have the wished effect. Along with her heart rate, her breathing started to calm down again and relieved she found herself no longer feeling like she was drowning.

It took her another few long minutes until she could breath normally again. Even then he didn't loosen his grip though and kept on holding her close, stroking her soothingly. A mix of relief and exhaustion was filling her as she snuggled into him, wishing him to just stay where he was.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he wanted to know.

Lindsay shook her head. "It was just...this dark room...and no one around," she said quietly. Still tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I can't do this. I...can't have nightmares every night."

"I know it's hard," Danny whispered softly, placing a gentle kiss into her hair. "I wish I knew something against nightmares. All I can is offering to be here for you when you have them though."

Lindsay nodded lightly. She knew there wasn't anything she could do against this fear, against her nightmares. Only time would be able to make it better. But even though she was still affected by the experience of yet another frightening night, she didn't miss the comfort coming from Danny who was holding her so close.

"Can't you...just stay here?" she asked then.

"You want me to sleep here with you?" he wanted to know. Nothing in his voice told her that he had any problem with her wish though.

"Only if that would be okay to you," she answered. "It...feels so good to know you're here and...I would be glad if you could just sleep here with me. If that is alright with you of course. If it's too close, it's fine."

"I think you should know the answer by now," he told her.

And without any other word, Danny slid under the blanket as well, allowing Lindsay to snuggle more into him. They lay down together and when he was sure she was alright, he switched the lights off again. But even though the room was dark again, the fear didn't return. Because the fact he was there already helped to make her feel better, at least a bit.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Aww, again thank you so incredibly much for the lovely reviews! They mean so much to me and they inspire me a lot! Special thanks to rapidtetv, dannymesserforever11, rhymenocerous, Dine89, SMacked Hard and afrozenheart412!**

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**She was woken up by the dull sound of thunder, muffled by the thick walls of the apartment building. Rain was rushing down onto the city like a shower, drumming against the glass of the window. For a second she was scared by the sound of rushing water, jerking lightly as her eyes flew open, the fear increasing the moment she found herself in complete darkness again.

But then Lindsay heard she wasn't alone in the room as Danny shifted in bed next to her, mumbling something in his sleep. Her entire body was shivering as she sank back against her pillow. Grabbing handfuls of her blanket, she wrapped it around herself as tight as possible, knowing it couldn't ease the cold that was constantly making her shudder. No blanket could help against a cold that was growing deep inside her, spreading into every inch of her body.

She wasn't alone, yet he couldn't really do anything against her feelings. Danny could try his best but he couldn't help her to get rid of her pain, of all those memories that were bugging her, keeping her trapped in her nightmares, greeting her whenever she woke up, following her through the day.

Imagining she would be alone in her own apartment now though scared her eyes more. No one around, only silence. She and her thoughts, without anyone stepping in when she couldn't take it any longer. Lindsay was grateful that Danny had offered her to stay at his place and currently she was experiencing the effect of his support.

Sighing lightly, Lindsay snuggled closer into her pillow, closing her eyes. Instantly images popped into her mind. Images that rushed by, caused cold waves of fear to float through her body. Her eyes flew open again and she swallowed hard to get rid of the strong lump that was building in her throat. The thunder and rain were darkening the atmosphere of the already scarily dark room. Her heart was beating faster, hammering in her chest. Her breathe was speeding up as she found herself nearing the edge of yet another panic attack.

With a shivering hand, she pushed the blanket aside. She couldn't stay in this dark room any longer. She could hardly breath, couldn't focus, her mind was spinning. Tightly she grabbed the edge of the bed, wincing in pain as she lifted herself out of it, shivering lightly at the cold of the hardwood floor beneath her feet.

Trying to control her breathe and racing heart, Lindsay almost fled out of the bedroom and into the living room. It was a lot larger and after a few attempts she managed to switch the lights on. Still the rain was rushing outside, hitting hard against the window as the thunderstorm was increasing. But anyway the lights caused a brief rush of relief and she made her way over to the couch.

Her body was screaming for sleep, she was so exhausted that barely she could keep her eyes open. But Lindsay couldn't go to bed. Not right now. The thought of sleeping in a dark room, not sure when the next nightmare would hit her, was currently not bearable for her.

It was then that once again a strong feeling of helplessness filled her. What could she do? She had to sleep, she couldn't just fall in coma and skip the next couple of weeks and months until she wouldn't be tortured by restless nights and painful memories anymore. She couldn't just somehow get around all those situations that frightened her. Like a dark room. Like showers. Like silence. She had to face those moments. But currently she felt incapable of that and this feeling of having lost every bit of control over her situation was a realisation that brought new tears to her eyes.

Tears of anger. Tears or desperation. She didn't want this man to have such a power over her life because of what he did to her during those three days. She didn't want to live in a constant fear, feeling numb and scared, filled with this cold that didn't want to go away. It wasn't fair. Three days had broken her, had turned her into someone who could barely spend an hour without experiencing any frightening feelings. It wasn't the way Lindsay wanted to be. She wanted to be happy, excited, enjoying every day to the fullest. Not being scared, exhausted and nervous.

"Montana?"

The sleepy and confused voice of Danny caused Lindsay to spin around. Quickly she tried to wipe her eyes dry again but the way his expression got more worried as his eyes found hers told her he had noticed the fact she had been crying.

"Did I wake you up?" she asked, instinctively trying to give him an excusing smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that."

Danny studied her for a moment, his eyes serious and she wondered what was going on in his mind at this particular moment. Then he made his way over to the couch in silence and sat down next to Lindsay. It was her turn to watch him as he sat there for a while before he looked back at her.

"I thought you knew that you could wake me up," he said then.

She felt how she blushed lightly at the intensity in his gaze. "But you're already doing so much for me and you need your sleep. You've also not been sleeping in the last few days and you also have to be back at work soon."

"No, I took a few days off," Danny answered. "And if you didn't notice, I have been sleeping. I don't want you to feel like you have to get up because you don't want to wake me." Once again he studied her. "You're shivering."

"Just freezing a bit," she replied, wrapping her arms even tighter around herself as she tried to make the shivering stop.

Wordlessly, Danny moved closer until only inches were separating their bodies. This time he didn't hesitate as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up into his arms.

"What..." she tried to contradict but he silenced her with shaking his head.

"It's a lot more comfortable in bed," he told her softly. Danny switched the lights off and carried her back into the dark bedroom. Instinctively Lindsay tightened her grip around his neck as she was returned to what she had tried to escape. Barely he had set her down onto the bed though, he switched the light on her bedside table on before he joined her again.

"Do you think you could sleep a bit better if we left that on?" he asked as he wrapped her into the thick blanket again. Lindsay was surprised by the unexpected comfort she noticed as he did that.

"I'm no child that can't sleep without lights on," she replied, trying to sound like she was joking. His expression stayed serious though. "I don't think you'll sleep well when the lights are on."

"That's where you're wrong, Montana," Danny answered, lying down next to her on his side so he could still face her. "I can't sleep well when I know that you feel like walking around my place because you're afraid to ask for comfort. I could understand if you wanted to be alone. Everyone needs moments in which you don't want to talk to anyone about what's going on with you. But something is telling me that's not why you're doing that."

"But only because you think I need help doesn't mean you have to do so much for me. I mean, you did more than an average friend would do with letting me stay here and listening to me," Lindsay said. "You're still not responsible for me."

"True, I'm not," he answered. "But see...I know you're fearing silence and darkness. I imagine you would feel better if you wake up and have this light on and know that you can wake me up when you had a nightmare again. I'm fine, alright? I get my sleep, no matter if the lights are on or if you wake me up a few times during the night. In fact you see that your plan of not disturbing me didn't work either. Now I'm awake as well." He sighed. "I just want to help you and I can only do that when you stop asking questions and stop wondering if it's okay. I wouldn't do anything I don't want to do. And I wouldn't do anything only because I think I have to."

More than once they had had this conversation now and deep inside Lindsay knew she should listen to Danny. If she was in his situation, she wouldn't back off either and she wouldn't be bothered by him, no matter how many times he would wake her up.

"I feel like this might last a while though," she said quietly. "It's not getting better at all. It's like...it will stay like that for ages."

"It won't stay like that for ages," he answered softly. "But it will take a while of course. There's no way you can simply leave a traumatic experience like that behind easily and move on like nothing happened."

Lindsay took a deep breath as another feeling was slowly pushing its way into her mind. "I'm just...angry, you know? I need my sleep but I can't get any because I don't even dare to go to bed. I have to be back at work soon, but how am I supposed to work like that?"

"I don't think you should hurry with going back to work," Danny said.

"Oh no?" Lindsay looked at him. "What else am I supposed to do? Sit at home where I have all day to think and remember all that crap? I have to work."

"But not like that." Danny shook his head. "Yell at me if that helps you, but I won't let you go back to work too early. You've had a break down yesterday after a shower. Do you seriously think we can have you work cases like that? You could do paperwork maybe, but nothing else. Hate me for that, but I won't let you go back yet."

"It's not up to you," she hissed, her anger increasing. Her rational mind told her it wasn't his fault, but her emotions silenced it.

"No, it's not, but I think Mac will agree with me when I'll talk to him," Danny told her.

Lindsay narrowed her eyes at him. "That's not your business," she said between clenched teeth. "You won't go to Mac. I'll go back to work. I need to work! I can't run away from it only because of this...bastard."

"I know that," he replied. Still his voice was soft but with a lot more determination to it. "I know you're mad. I see what you're going through and honestly, it's paining me so much to see you like that. I can imagine you don't want to stay here, not able to work because of how much all this is affecting you. It's very understandable that you just want to get rid of all this pain and all this fear and go back to your normal all day life. But it's not working like that, no matter how much you hate me or anyone else for telling you that. You need your time and you can't rush things. You might break down at work. Who knows, maybe it wouldn't happen, but currently the risk is too high. You keep on saying that I'm not responsible for you. But being your friend and seeing how you're behaving makes me responsible. I can't just close my eyes and let you do things which I believe are wrong. Possibly it makes me a bad friend in your eyes when I don't let you do what you believe is right. You have to decide what you want of course. But still there are moments in which I have to step in and stop you before you make a mistake."

Lindsay stared back at him in silence, not able to respond immediately. Honesty could hurt but she was grateful that Danny didn't tell her what she wanted to hear. In fact he was doing exactly what she would be doing for him as well.

"If you suggest that I should get professional help though I won't do that," she said then.

Danny offered her a light smile. "I won't force you to do anything like that. It's up to you. You still have me right now. But try to listen to me sometimes, okay? Even if you don't want to. I know it sucks to stay at home when you would rather distract yourself with work. But sometimes it's necessary. And for the next few days you're not even alone here."

Lindsay nodded slowly. "I think I'm getting tired again," she told him. "Maybe we should go back to sleep."

"Sounds good," he agreed. "And the lights stay on." He snuggled back into his pillow. "Is there anything else you'd like to talk about now?"

"Maybe tomorrow," she said, lying back down as well. She was quiet for a moment before she added, "Thanks. Again."

Once more he smiled and nodded. "It's fine. I think you know that by now."

And Danny was right. Lindsay knew it indeed. Still she wasn't used to someone offering so much help to her and then being so honest. She believed him that he knew he didn't have to do anything for her. He seemed to want it though and she would try to stop doubting that.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: And again a fic I should update more often! ;) Here is a new chapter for you! I hope you'll like it! Thanks so much to everyone who's reading and reviewing this story, your feedback is very encouraging and inspiring! Special thanks to SMacked Hard, xxCrimexObsessedxPrincessxx, Dine89, rapidtetv, afrozenheart412, Jupitor's-Cowgirl and rhymenocerous!**

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**The next morning Lindsay woke up and this time found herself relieved as she wasn't lying in complete dark anymore. Indeed the lamp on the bedside table had helped; she had woken up once more during this night but the fact that Danny was sleeping next to her and that the room wasn't fully dark again had helped her to lie back down and fall asleep again after a couple of minutes.

Now she didn't feel any relief though as she was greeted by a throbbing headache. Carefully she tried to open her eyes, just to be blinded by the formerly helpful light. Apart from that she was also freezing and so tried to slide further under her blanket, wrapping it around her as good as she could.

But the headache made it impossible for her to fall asleep again. She squeezed her eyes shut, but even that seemed to cause pain. Groaning lightly, she pressed a hand against her aching head, wondering whether her hand was so cold or her forehead so hot.

"Are you okay in there?" Danny's soft, sleepy voice asked her. Lindsay felt how the blanket was pushed downwards and he came into sight. His expression instantly became concerned as he saw her.

"My head," she answered quietly, wincing as the pain speaking caused. She blinked as again she was blinded by the light of the lamp.

Danny seemed to have understood as he got up and uncovered the window. The light from outside was bright also but not as painful at the lamp which he then switched out before he lay down next to her again.

"Such a bad headache?" he wanted to know. She decided to only nod in response. Lindsay watched him study her for a moment before he added, "You're kinda flushed also. Any other symptoms?" Reaching out, he rested his hand against her forehead. Lindsay sighed gratefully at the cold radiating from his palm. The look in his eyes got even more concerned though.

"Feels like a temperature," he said, much to her disappointment pulling his hand away again to get up. "Lets check that out."

"I'm sure it's fine," Lindsay told him as he was already on his way into the bathroom. In fact she knew it wasn't. She was freezing although she doubted it was cold in the room. In contrast to that her cheeks seemed to be burning and her head felt like someone was hitting against it with a hammer. It only added to the fact she was feeling horrible and she wished someone would just give her something to sleep for the next couple of months, without any pain and any nightmares bugging her.

Danny returned a few minutes later. Still hidden under her blanket mostly to protect herself against the cold and the light, she only noticed him at the movements of the bed as he crawled over to her. She heard the beeping of the thermometer that then was offered to her by him. Willingly she parted her lips and allowed him to slip it into her mouth. Even the thermometer seemed to offer a welcome cold. Once again she found Danny watching her as he waited for the result. There was a warmth and comfort in those bright blue eyes that didn't fail to amaze her. She had seen this side of him shining through a few times but ever since he had found her in this warehouse, he seemed to be glued to her side, in a way that couldn't be better for her. Gazing back up at him, Lindsay felt another wave of calming support rushing through her. It felt good to know he was there. It amazed her how just a gesture like taking her temperature could cause such a connection between them.

The beeping of the thermometer startled her lightly. Carefully he pulled it out of her mouth again, raising his eyebrows as he looked at the result. "Wow, that's a lot. We better get you to the hospital," he said, moving to get up.

"No!" she exclaimed, once again wincing at her own words. When he stopped to turn to her again, she added, "No, I don't want to go to a hospital, please. Not again. I just go out of it. It surely is just a cold. I mean I...have been in that water for a while and all."

Danny looked back at her, obviously debating whether listening to her was a good idea or not. Pleadingly she glanced back up at him. There was no way she would go back to a hospital. "A doctor should check you out though," he told her.

"Maybe we can ask Sheldon to come over," she suggested.

Danny nodded. "That could work. Alright, you'll stay in here and I'll call him."

"Actually I'd rather have a shower first," she replied. Her face reddened even more. "Because...well, I didn't get to finish the one from yesterday."

"Fine." He gave her another nod. "But hurry, I don't want you to get even sicker. And if you need anything in there, tell me."

Despite the fact she felt bad, Lindsay couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "You only want to see me naked, Messer."

Danny gave her a surprised look, not prepared from a joke by her; she didn't know herself where it was coming from. Then he smirked lightly himself. "Exactly, I'm way too predictable, huh?" He winked at her. "Okay, have your shower now and then you'll go straight to bed again."

With that he left the room again to call Hawkes. Lindsay remained lying in bed for another moment, trying to gain the strength to get up which she managed after another few minutes. Closing her eyes, she struggled with the pain rushing through her as she stood up straight. When it got better, she slowly made her way into the bathroom. She decided to not lock the door again, for the case the shower would turn out the way it had the day before.

Partly dizzy from her headache, she leant against the wall next to the shower for a moment, closing her eyes at the cold of the tiles as she slowly started to undress. The pain had one advantage for her; it made it difficult for her to think. The thoughts that had been hurting her so much didn't seem to fully get through her pain-clouded mind. She hoped that Hawkes would give her some medicine that would allow her to sleep longer than a few hours.

Fully naked, Lindsay made her way over to the shower. She hesitated for a second, then took a deep breath and simply turned it on. The rushing water made her shiver lightly. Carefully she reached out to test the temperature with her hand, finding it shaking again. This time though she wouldn't back off. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the shower stall. She jumped lightly at the water met her skin. A shower was something she couldn't avoid though and using all her willpower, she stepped under the water completely.

* * *

While Danny had been waiting for Lindsay as she was in the shower, he couldn't deny he had wished to simply go into the bathroom and check if she was really okay. He knew though that not only he couldn't simply run in there as she wouldn't be dressed and also he had to give her the space she needed to get used to doing things that weren't easy for her. He could offer her support, but some steps she had to make, no matter how hard they were for her.

This knowledge didn't ease his worry though as the fact she was getting sick was bothering him even more. The way she had been lying in his bed, almost completely hidden under his blanket with those feverish red cheeks and the exhausted look in her eyes caused his heart to ache.

Danny had to admit he was surprised by himself. He had never imagined to take care of another person like that. He was loyal and supportive when it came to hos family and friends. But now with Lindsay things had reached a whole new level. He knew she didn't want him to feel responsible for her, but he couldn't help it. He had stopped denying that there was a connection existing between them; even if it hadn't been him who had helped her out of the warehouse, he would have offered all this help to her. Something inside him had caused this personal mission; he wanted to make sure she would be fine. No matter what this meant for him.

Now Lindsay was lying in his bed again and Sheldon was with her, having a look at her because of her symptoms. Danny had decided to stay in the living room for that, couldn't help the constant wish to go back in there. He knew he was very protective of her, especially lately, and possibly more than he should. He also knew what Don would say now; that he should stop working against those feelings. He had strong feelings for her and even if now wasn't the right time for admitting them to her, he shouldn't fight against them either.

So lost in his thoughts Danny missed how Hawkes left the bedroom again. He only noticed his friend's presence as he coughed lightly. The slightly amused expression of his friend caused him to blush even more.

"Everything alright?" Hawkes asked, making his way over to the couch to join him.

"Yeah, sure," Danny answered, sighing inwardly at the way his friend raised his eyebrows, clearly aware of his thoughts. "So how is she?"

"I guess you don't have to take her to the hospital," Hawkes explained. "Let her rest for a while, give her some painkillers and something against the temperature and she should be fine. It doesn't surprise me she's feeling like that now. She went through such a traumatic experience, it caused so much stress for her body and still she is the furthest from being able to just relax and get the rest she needs. It's too much for her body to handle. So it reacts with a temperature and the headache. She should be fine soon. At least physically."

Danny nodded slowly. He was glad about those news; he would try his best to make her feel better as soon as possible. He also knew he couldn't heal all wounds. "She doesn't want to go to a therapist, Sheldon," he said then, looking up at his friend again. "I think after something horrible like that she should see one but she doesn't want to. I can't just force her."

"No, you can't," Hawkes agreed. "And even if you could, it wouldn't help her then. She has to believe that seeing a therapist is what she needs and what she wants and she has to be ready to talk about it."

"At least I could talk her out of going straight back to work," Danny said.

Hawkes nodded. "That's good." He paused for a moment, studying his friend. "She told you a lot already, didn't she?"

Once again Danny felt his cheeks heating up. "Well, she told me a few details about what's been going on and I was around when she was feeling bad and had some breakdowns. It's normal when you're staying at the same place."

"It's not normal," Hawkes disagreed. "Already the fact she's here now...she's trusting in you. Obviously enough that she even lets you in and shares all that with you. Maybe you can't force her to go and see a therapist, but maybe with the time you can convince her that it would be the best for her. Until then though...I think you're helping her a lot already."

"I'm trying my best," Danny replied.

Hawkes stayed for another few minutes before he left again. At this point Danny could no longer stay away from his bedroom. Quietly for the case Lindsay was asleep, he opened the door and peeked inside. A sudden warmth filled his heart as he saw her lying on her side, facing his half of the bed, curled up in a ball with the blanket wrapped around her tightly.

For a moment he debated whether to leave again or not, but he couldn't make himself head back into the living room. So he made his way over to the bed and carefully climbed onto it, trying his best to not make any movements that could wake her up. He arranged himself next to her so he was lying on his side, able to look at the sleeping woman in front of him.

And then he just watched her. For so long now, he had tried to deny that he was feeling something for her that had little to do with friendship. Don had told him that somewhere along the line he would understand that as well.

Possibly this was the moment his friend had been talking about. Lying on his side, Danny simply looked at Lindsay and that was enough already to make a warmth float through him that was so different to everything he had experienced before. He felt responsible for her, he wanted to protect her, yet he also wanted to just be around her, knowing that he didn't have to play a role, could simply be himself. She had been so supportive and gentle around him after all that had happened to Louie. Now it was his chance to give something back. And to realise what everyone already knew.

As if she knew he was thinking about her, Lindsay blinked and opened her eyes, gazing right into Danny's. The hint of a smile lit her face.

"Hey," he whispered quietly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." He moved to get up. "Do you want to be alone? I can head back into the living room, I just wanted to make sure you're fine."

"But it's nice to have you here," she answered, almost shyly. He noticed she was shivering again.

"Are you still freezing?" he wanted to know.

She nodded. "A bit. Only because of the stupid temperature though.

He nodded. Once again his instinct was telling him to act and once again he was hesitant. But there was another voice. The voice of his best friend who was telling him to simply follow this instinct. It wouldn't betray him. And so Danny moved closer, gently wrapping his arms around her. Instantly Lindsay snuggled into him, trying to get as close to him as possible.

"Better?" he asked softly.

"Much better," she replied.

And a few moments later, she had fallen asleep again. Anyway Danny remained lying in bed, allowing Lindsay to snuggle into his chest, offering her some warmth and comfort. He knew she would tell him he didn't have to do all that for her. For him this wasn't up to debating though. Because there was nothing else he rather wanted to do at the moment.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey guys! I think it's time for a new chapter. Thanks so much to everyone who is still supporting this fic; thanks to you for reading and reviewing! Special thanks to madmush, dannymesserforever11, Dine89, afrozenheart412, SMacked Hard, webdlfan, rhymenocerous and rapidtetv!**

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* * *

**She was lying in his bed, deep asleep. Danny was glad he had convinced Lindsay to get some sleep. He could understand her dislike of sleeping lately though. Usually she woke up after having a nightmare somewhere along the line. He knew how painful nightmares could be, but hers were bothering her way too often. The next couple of weeks would be hard for her.

Sitting on his bed next to her, Danny used the chance to watch her. After Sheldon had left, he had decided to stay in the bedroom together with her and while she was about to fall asleep, he had turned the TV on quietly. The soft noises around her and his presence had had the wished effect on her; within minutes she had fallen asleep.

It caused his heart to ache. She needed to hear someone was there, she needed some light on as she couldn't bear the dark, she could hardly bear being in the shower, feeling water run over her head. Three days together with this man and he had changed her so much. He knew what traumatic experiences could do to a person and once again he wished he had been kidnapped by this officer.

He should have been there instead. He should have been the one kidnapped, not her. He should have protected her. Sighing deeply, he shook his head at himself. Guilt wouldn't help here. He needed to be there for her.

He had forgotten about the TV long time ago. Danny moved closer to Lindsay carefully to have a better look at her. She had pulled the blanket up to her nose again, it was wrapped around her petite body tightly. Her breathe was slow and calm. Her cheeks were still red. He reached out carefully and brushed over her forehead and cheeks, feeling she was still suffering from her temperature. She tensed at the loving touch and he quickly pulled his hand away. Lindsay needed to sleep a bit to feel better again and Danny wouldn't want her to wake up.

Once again he was amazed by how she was making him feel. Danny had always been a man who had wanted to take care of the people who meant something to him. He was loyal and protective. With Lindsay, everything had reached a new level though. Just seeing her made him smile. Imagining someone could hurt her in any way caused his blood to boil.

He knew he had been acting like in trance during the last couple of days. He hadn't slept, hadn't eaten until Don had forced him to. He would have simply collapsed somewhere along the line otherwise. She had been the focus of his attention all the time. The constant fear that had filled him had driven him close to insanity. Never he would have believed that fear could do that to a person, but now he knew that fear was enough to destroy a person's mind.

Three horrible days which would be burnt into his mind forever. He would never forget how he had felt when he had found out she had been kidnapped. He would never forget how his body had worked on adrenaline for all three days until his head was spinning, his body was shivering violently and he had been close to a mental and physical breakdown. He knew that whenever he would call her and she wouldn't answer her phone, he would panic.

But now she was back, lying in his bed, and she was safe. No one could harm her. Danny wished he could do more than offering support to her but Lindsay seemed to be grateful for that already. She had wanted him to be around her, she had agreed to his suggestion to stay at his place. She had shared a lot with him already. Still her descriptions wouldn't get close to the horror she really had to go through.

Danny was glad Mac and Don had taken care of this man. He knew neither of them would have let him into the interrogation room. Danny was professional, but in some cases he could lose it. If he had to face this man with his explanations for his actions, he would have probably hurt him badly in some way. He was just human.

And he should have done more. Sighing again, Danny closed his eyes. He couldn't stop it. He knew it wasn't his fault but he couldn't help but wonder what he could have done differently. Throwing another short glance at her, Danny reached for his cell. For a moment he debated whether to leave the room or not but he knew she expected him to lie next to her when she woke up and he didn't want her to be alone again. Quickly he dialled the familiar number before he leant back against the headboard of his bed.

"Flack," the calm voice of his friend answered.

"Hey Don, it's me," Danny said, cursing himself for the fact his voice was already giving him away. He knew he couldn't hide anything in front of his best friend.

"What's wrong?" Don asked indeed.

Danny sighed. "Am I interrupting anything? I could call later..."

"Not a chance," Don answered. "I'm on a break, so go ahead. What's wrong? And don't pull this 'I don't want to whine' crap on me. Tell me what's bothering you or I'll come over there and kick you ass."

Danny couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "You know me way too well, Don." He sighed again. "Alright. It's just...I can't stop wondering whether I could have prevented this from happening."

"How?" was Don's short question.

"I don't know," Danny answered honestly. "I could have been together with her instead of letting her go to her car alone." He paused. "I know it's stupid. I just wish I could have done anything. I...see what this man did to her. She's traumatized, she won't ever forget those three days again. I wish it hadn't happened and I can't stop thinking I could have done anything differently." He chuckled insecurely. "Sorry, man, I shouldn't bother you with that shit."

"Don't dare to hang up now," Don told him. "It's normal to feel like that. See, I'm not one of those guys who can analyse your mind and then can tell you why you do what you do. I just know that I hate it when I lose control over a situation. I hate it when things happen which I can't change, no matter if they happen to me or to others. I start to wonder if I could have done something differently to prevent it. I wonder if I tried enough or if I could have seen something coming. I get totally irrational."

"Why are we doing that?" Danny asked.

"I guess it's our way to get back in control," Don suggested. "I have no idea, Danny. I'm no expert. But I guess in our world the worst that can happen to you is when you lose control. You want it back. You can't handle the fact that no matter how hard you try, sometimes you can't prevent some things from happening. You try to believe it was all your fault because then you can blame your own behaviour and next time you can behave differently. We believe that if we just try hard enough next time, nothing bad can happen. We take some of the power from whoever caused our pain. We think if it was our fault, they're less dangerous because if we behave correctly, they can't hurt us."

"I guess that's irrational as well," Danny replied.

"Yeah," Don answered. "Because bad things happen to the best people. You can always find something you could have done differently, but we're not perfect. No one is. After all no mistakes justifies kidnapping, rape, murder or anything else. It's the criminals we have to blame, not ourselves."

Danny nodded even though his friend couldn't see him. "Not that easy, huh?"

"Not at all, but then again when is life ever easy," Don answered. "Seriously, Danny. Stop blaming yourself. You couldn't have done anything. We have cameras down there. It's not her fault she parked somewhere where no one could see her and it's not your fault that you didn't take her to her car. The only one to blame is this guy. His sick mind made him do that. He harmed her. He's to blame. I know it's hard to accept. She didn't do anything wrong, you didn't do anything wrong. This insane guy wanted to prove a point. Maybe we all should blame us that we didn't notice he was a crazy. But honestly, if we invested so much time on having a close look around anyone of us, I guess we're the ones who get insane with the time."

Danny couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, I still believe if you ever get tired of your job you could just work as a therapist."

"You wish," Don replied, his voice revealing he was smiling. "Just do me a favour, alright? Stop the worrying. You couldn't have stopped this idiot. You're doing great with supporting her. Just stop questioning yourself all the time."

"I'll try my best, Don," Danny promised. "Thank you." And even though he knew the worries never would stop completely, he would at least make sure they got a bit better.

* * *

_He was standing in front of her, one hand clenching around the baseball bat. Never before she had seen such cold eyes before; dark like the night, with so much hate in them. She had no idea who he was hating. Her or anyone else? She had seen him a few times before, possibly had even worked with him before. She didn't know why he was doing that to her and with her fear-clouded mind there was no room for speculation._

"_Please...don't," she whimpered as he rose his hand. Her body was hurting, she had no idea how many rips he had broken her already. She was covered in bruises. And still he didn't stop._

"_Please don't...please," she pleaded. "Why...are you doing that? Can't you just...let me go? Please, I won't tell anyone that it was you."_

_He only stared at her. He hadn't spoken a single word yet. It was like she was talking to a machine. Her eyes closed as he stepped closer, waiting for the pain._

A scream erupted from her and like so many times before, she jerked up in bed. She screamed again until she realised he wasn't in the room. Anyway her heart was racing, and once again she felt like she couldn't breath. She was panting heavily, instinctively trying to get out of the bed. She was stopped when two arms wrapped around her.

"No, let me go!" she screamed, startling herself with her loud voice. She tried to hit whoever was holding her but was trapped in the tight embrace.

"Lindsay, calm down, it's me," Danny whispered into her ear. "Stop beating me, it's all good."

It took her another while until she could calm herself down enough to rest against his chest and allow him to pull her back into bed. If she hadn't been still in fear, she would have fallen asleep right away; those nightmares exhausted her. She started to shiver again although she was feeling hot at the same time. Her temperature still didn't seem to be over.

"I'm sorry," she apologized after endlessly long minutes.

"What?" he asked confused.

She was feeling dizzy, clinging to his shirt as she was struggling with her exhaustion, sickness and those memories that made her shudder. "Because I keep on reacting like that." She shook her head at herself. There was this strong lump in her throat again and she had problems with breathing. Tears were rising in her eyes. She sighed as she felt how he gently ran his hand up and down her back. It was amazing her how he could calm her down with instinctively doing the right things and saying the right things. But he wasn't responsible for her.

"You know it's not your fault, right?" he told her softly.

She sighed. "No, but it's not yours either." She freed herself off his arms and gazed up at him. "I...am not stupid, okay? I see how much I'm getting you involved. I see how much it's affecting you." Guilt was rising inside her. "I came here because I didn't want to be alone. But...look at yourself. You're constantly worried. I don't want to do that to you."

Lindsay bit her lip as she gazed up at Danny. She knew how many times she had brought this topic up and so many times he had told her he wanted to support her. It was hard for her to accept though and it pained her to see how much he was getting involved. She needed him but at the same time feared he was investing too much.

"You know what I think?" he asked then. "First of all, I want you to stop believing I'm too involved. Honestly, there's nothing you could do against it. You believe if you're at home alone and avoid me I'd just move on? No way. I'd think about you all the time. Do you know what I did during those three days? I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep. It felt like nothing around me didn't matter anymore. All I was thinking about was you. I know you think you could just go and handle it all alone and everything would be fine again. I guess you don't know how much you mean to me." He paused. "I might get myself into trouble here, but maybe I should just finally be honest. I don't know if you never noticed it but...there is this connection between us. It's not just attraction, it's something else. I mean...when I see you show up somewhere, I can't help but smile and feel good, even if I'm having a shitty day. When I hold you in my arms, I feel like the world out there doesn't really matter. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's how I feel. I can't tell you how glad I am to have you here. If you were at your place, I'd like awake all night, wondering how you are and what you're doing. Yes, I am involved a lot and it pains me when you wake up all scared or when you suffer from a temperature or when I see how little things are enough to scare you. But I'm glad because all that is happening here where I can hold you and cam you down. I wouldn't want it any other way."

Lindsay noticed how Danny's cheeks turned red. She was stunned by his words; she had never seen it from this point of view. He had told her so many times that he wanted to support and comfort her, but that he was doing it because she meant so much to him surprised her.

"There's something else though," he added then. "I think you should get professional help as well. I want you to stay here for the next weeks if that's okay to you because I don't think you should be alone and because my selfish side wants you to be here so I know how you are. But all I can do is being here, listening and holding you when you need it. But I can't work on your trauma with you. I don't know much about that, but I think if you don't get any professional help, this might get a real problem for you." He hesitated. "I hope you don't mind that I'm saying that, but you should really give it a try."

He was visibly uncomfortable because of his suggestion, but his honesty was what she liked. He wouldn't lie only to please her. Danny would comfort her when she needed him. He would be there when Lindsay would have her nightmares, he would listen to her when once again a situation had frightened her. But he was no expert and deep inside she knew she needed help.

"If I see a therapist soon...will you go with me to my first appointment?" she asked carefully.

"I'll go with you every time if you want me to," he answered and she knew he meant it.

Lindsay nodded. Sighing softly, she allowed Danny to pull her back into his arms. His confession had surprised her. She didn't have to worry; he helped her because of how much she meant to him. The thought of getting professional help was frightening her, but she believed that with his support, she would be able to make this step as well.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I know I've posted a lot of oneshots lately. ;) But here is a new fic update again, I hope you'll like it! Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! Special thanks to rapidtetv, afrozenheart412, madmush, Dine89 and rhymenocerous!**

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**When Lindsay had agreed to see a therapist, she had hoped Danny would allow her some time to get used to the idea. In fact she agreed he was right; she had to talk to someone who knew how to work on her trauma with her. She wasn't just scared by what had happened. She was affected a lot. She didn't dare to imagine how many events of her all day life would cause problems for her.

But when he had handed the phone and a number to her, she had been insecure again. Was she really ready to talk to someone other than him? Was she really ready to let a therapist look into her soul after what she had just to go through?

She had made the appointment though, knowing that he wouldn't accept it if she pulled back. She needed help and as much as he wanted to be there for her, he couldn't give her everything.

Luckily he had agreed to go with her. He was even holding her hand while they were sitting in the waiting room, and although she was scared, his comfort was helping her a lot. She was glad that there was no one else in the room. Lindsay could feel she was shivering, but as much as she tried to suppress it, she couldn't.

"Are you alright?" Danny's soft voice interrupted her in her thoughts. She felt how he squeezed her hand lightly and she looked up at him.

"I'm not sure actually," she admitted quietly. "I'm...not sure I'm ready for this."

"I understand," he replied. Lindsay knew her shivering didn't stay unnoticed to him as he watched her closely. She could see the concern in his eyes as he wondered if he had pushed her too far. During the last days she had had several break downs though and she knew she wouldn't feel better if she tried to pull herself through those days without any help. "If it's really that hard for you, you can always stop. No one's forcing you to be here. No one, okay?"

"I think it's not that easy, you know," she replied, giving him a weak smile. "If I don't do it now...when will I be ready? I doubt it'd get better any time soon. I...know I have to talk to her. No matter how hard it is."

"You still shouldn't do anything that pains you too much, alright?" Danny told her. With his free hand, he wiped a lose curl out of her face. His fingers brushed over her skin briefly and she shuddered. There was so much comfort coming from him, but she couldn't help the feeling that there was more behind this.

"We'll see about that," she answered but he shook his head.

"This is no class to pass or anything," he said. "It's supposed to help you. When you can't take it anymore, make her stop. Make another appointment and continue then." He paused. "See, no one's gonna be disappointed by you, okay? You need your time, and you decide how much you want to share and when you want to stop. I'm proud of you that you decided to make this step in the first place. No one's expecting you to rush through therapy and be fine within the next few weeks. A trauma like that takes time."

Although she was still shivering in nervousness, Lindsay couldn't help but smile at him. "You have no idea how glad I am that you're here now."

"Anytime, Montana," he answered, placing a gentle kiss into her hair. Once again she shuddered. She wanted to reply, but the door to the practice was opened and she jumped lightly at the unexpected interruption.

"Miss Monroe?" the woman asked.

Lindsay instinctively glanced at Danny. Once again he squeezed her hand gently. "You can do it," he whispered softly. "From what I heard, Dr. Foster is really good. I'll wait here for you."

Danny gave her an encouraging nod. Lindsay sighed lightly. She took a deep breath and got up.

* * *

"I'm happy you managed to visit me, Miss Monroe," Dr. Foster said as she said down across of her patient. "Or may I call you Lindsay?"

"Lindsay is just fine," Lindsay answered with a shy smile. She could feel her insecurity rise with an intensity which she had hoped to never feel again. It was a strange fear which she had since her first appointment as a teenager. Back then she had to deal with the loss of her friends and with being the witness and survivor of a crime. Now she had gone through another traumatic experience and again it was paining her so much, it was frightening her so much that she could rarely sit still.

Dr. Foster gave her a soft smile. "There's no reason to be scared, Lindsay," she said as if reading her patient's mind. "Usually it's not easy for people to come and visit me, but I'm not forcing you into anything. If you want to stop, let me know. I won't bother you with questions that go too far. For now I would just like to know why you're here." Her smile widened a bit. "And if you feel better, you can also ask your boyfriend to join us."

"Oh, he's not...I mean," Lindsay replied quickly, cursing herself for blushing at what the therapist had assumed. "We're not together. Not...I mean..."

"It's alright, Lindsay. You don't have to explain yourself in front of me," Dr. Foster interrupted her with a soft smile. "If you want him to join, that'd be fine."

"I think I'll try it alone for now," Lindsay said.

Dr. Foster nodded. "Okay." She leant back in her chair and studied her patient for a second. Lindsay was still struggling with her fear, but compared to her last therapist, this one here seemed to mean what she was saying when she promised she wouldn't push her into anything. "Maybe we start at the beginning. I have a rough idea of why you're here, but I guess the best is when we start there."

Lindsay nodded. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves down. She knew the therapist could see how much she was shivering, but it helped a bit to know that this woman had to deal with a lot of persons who had to go through horrible experiences.

"As you know, I'm working as a crime scene investigator for the New York Crime Lab," she started. "We've been working on the case of a serial killer who's been going after cops. A few days ago he managed to kidnap me as well. We...knew what he did to his victims, but we never found out where he was holding them as his hostages. So...I quite knew what was expecting me when he took me to this warehouse but..." She sighed. Barely she had opened her mouth when all the images rushed back. "That's harder than I thought. I was there for three days until they found me and...he did...so many things to me to torture me. I...wouldn't have come, but I can't get over the nightmares and the panic attacks."

"It's good you decided to come and see me," Dr. Foster answered in her soft, warm voice. "Share as much as you want with me. So this man held you hostage for three days you say, and you had an idea of what he did to the other people he kidnapped? Is that what he did to you?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yes. Everything he did to them he also did to me. He was cop himself, which I still don't understand. I don't understand why he'd do that to his own co-workers." She shook her head. There was no way for her to control her rough shivering. A lump was building in her throat and it seemed as if the temperature in the room had dropped a couple of degrees. Anyway she forced herself to continue.

"I was handcuffed all the time so I couldn't run away," she explained. "He...tried to use various ways of torture with me. He locked me in a tiny, dark room where I had to stand for hours, without the smallest bit of light, he blast music at me at full volume for hours, he didn't give me any food or water, he beat me up over and over again, he gave me electric shocks...And at the end he handcuffed me to a basin and filled it with water to drown me in there." Tears were rising in her eyes as the images of those moments flashed through her mind, paining her so much that even if she wanted to, she couldn't form any words to continue.

"That must have been a nightmare," Dr. Foster said and her voice revealed she was shocked by the explanations.

"I can't get over it," Lindsay said, no longer trying to hold back the sobs that escaped her. "I'm having nightmares several times every night, I can't have a shower without being scared when I feel the water on my head or face, I'm scared what else will happen when I leave the apartment and go back to work..." Her voice trailed off again as several sobs left her lips. "Sorry, I can't..."

"It's alright," Dr. Foster replied, handing her a tissue. "It's okay, no one's forcing you to continue."

"Could you maybe...?" Lindsay tried to ask, but her voice didn't cooperate. The therapist got up wordlessly, nodded and headed to the door that led into the waiting room where Danny was still waiting.

* * *

When Lindsay had followed Dr. Foster into the room next door, Danny found it difficult to resist the urge to follow her. He had seen the look she had given him, had seen how she had been shivering. His protective side had immediately kicked in and he had simply wanted to embrace her and hold her tight.

During the last few days, he had been by her side all the time, had tried to give her the support and comfort she needed. He had seen her break down several times, had held her after nightmares and panic attacks. He found it difficult to hand her over to a therapist who knew how to do her job but who didn't know her patient as good as he did.

She meant so much to him. Danny knew Don was right. If they were just friends, he would feel a strong connection to her, but his feelings would be as intensive as they were now. He cared for her, more than for anyone else. He wanted to have her around him, every day, every hour, every minute. His heart was beating faster when she smiled at him, his heart broke when she cried, he felt warm and wonderful when she wrapped her arms around him and he could embrace her.

It was no friendship. It was so much more than that. He could feel she was feeling it as well, but right now there was no chance for him to approach her. She had to go through a lot, she needed time. The feelings between them would only grow during this time.

So lost in his thoughts, Danny almost jumped off his chair as the door was opened again and Dr. Foster appeared.

"Mr. Messer," she said. "Would you please come in as well?"

Danny could only nod in response. He swallowed hard as he felt the lump in his throat. He could imagine why the therapist wanted him to come inside. His theory was proven right as he walked through the door and found her sitting on the couch, shivering, with her face hidden in her palms. She was crying and the aching pain in his heart caused tears to rise in his eyes as well.

The therapist said something but Danny didn't hear her. He made his way over to Lindsay and joined her on the couch. Gently he rested an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close against him. He was relieved as she leant in immediately, allowing him to embrace her.

"Shh, it's all good," he whispered into her ear. "Everything's going to be alright."

"I can't do that," she whispered as she was clinging to him. "I can't do that now."

"It's okay, really," he told her softly. "You can stop, no one's forcing you to continue. You can come back for another appointment when you feel ready for it. It's absolutely no problem. There is no reason to hurry. Everything's good."

He felt how she relaxed in his arms at his words. He knew she had to face the therapy sooner or later, but forcing her wouldn't help her either. She had tried her best and she needed more time.

"I think we'll make a new appointment," he said to the therapist then.

Dr. Foster nodded. "Call me whenever you want."

Danny nodded. For another couple of minutes he held Lindsay in a tight embrace. She was calming down thanks to his support and a bit later they could leave the practice again. They didn't exchange a single word on their way to the car. But words weren't needed. He knew she needed his support and he was more than willing to give it to her, no matter if this meant talking to her, listening to her or simply holding her in his arms, showing her that he was there.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Huge thanks to everyone for reading and for reviewing! Here's a new chapter for you! Special thanks to madmush, rhymenocerous, rapidtetv, SMacked Hard, Dine89, TheAngel'sWings and afrozenheart412!**

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**He was sitting in his office, staring down onto the paper that was resting in front of him without actually knowing what was written on it. Danny couldn't concentrate. Lindsay wasn't back at work yet, but even though she stayed at home, he couldn't calm himself down enough to not call her every few minutes to check if she was really alright.

She had decided to continue therapy. Talking to a stranger and talking to him seemed to ease the pain a bit. Just a little bit though. She was still waking up with nightmares every single night, she was still walking on eggshells, she was jumpy and scared of the dark. Showering and every other situation in which she got water into her face and onto her head were still not easy to handle for her either, but so far she had managed to at least finish her quick showers.

She was making progresses. Tiny and slow progresses, but he could see them. He knew she wasn't satisfied by the pace of how quickly she was coping, but he tried his best to convince her that she needed time. He understood that she couldn't handle the fact that those three days and this one man had the power to affect her like that, to change her like that. In fact, so he believed, she would probably never fully get over it again, but he wouldn't say that in front of her. She needed his full support and he would give it to her, whenever she needed it.

"Don't you want to take a break?"

Mac's voice startled Danny out of his thoughts. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he gazed up at his boss who was leaning in the doorway of his office, watching him with slight concern.

"Nah, thanks, Mac, I'm fine." Danny offered a light smile. "Just got distracted a bit."

"Why don't you call her if you're worried?" Mac wanted to know. He entered the office completely and made his way to the desk across of Danny where he sat down. He studied his friend closely and like usually, it made Danny squirm in discomfort. His boss had the gift to read his mind.

"I did way too often already," he admitted. "Last time she said she won't pick up if I call her within the next few minutes."

Mac chuckled. "Well, I guess she won't get anything done when you keep on interrupting her, and she won't be able to sleep either."

"She won't be able to sleep anyway." Danny sighed, deciding that right now he couldn't concentrate on his case file. He leant back in his chair, shaking his head. "I know I'm being crazy here, Mac. I know I should just stop worrying. But whenever I try to, I get all those thoughts. Like what if she sleeps and wakes up and is scared? She seems to not know where she is most of the time and I fear she just runs out my apartment. Or what if she has another breakdown? I know she wouldn't call me and I don't want her to be alone with that." He sighed again. "I know I'm going too far here. I know I have to give her space and not put any pressure on her with my behaviour, and I also know I'm not responsible for her, but I can't really get rid of this feeling."

Mac had listened to him silently, only nodding occasionally. Danny knew he had opened up to the right person. Mac had the gift to stay calm in such situations and to find advice which might actually help him.

"I think you're way too hard with yourself here, Danny," he answered then as he was sure his younger friend wouldn't add more. "Look at how much you've done for her. You've been there for her ever since we got her out of this warehouse. She's trusting in you so much that she's living at your place with you now, that she lets you be part of everything she's going through. Of course you're feeling responsible and of course you want to make sure that she's alright. No one knows better what she's going through at the moment than you, because you're around her all day. I doubt you're putting pressure on her. I think it feels good for her to know that there's someone who cares for what she's going through."

Danny shrugged. "Maybe, but I'm still afraid I'm going too far. I know she needs space and time for herself, but whenever I try to give it to her, she wakes up at night screaming or, she gets scared by something and I feel the urge to be there for her. I'm just so glad she actually lets me help her now. At the beginning, she just tried to keep it all to herself. She didn't even wake me up at night. She's finally so open and I just want to use the chance to help her." He sighed and shook his head. "I have no idea what's going on with me, Mac."

"How do you mean?" his boss wanted to know.

"I mean I never felt like that before," Danny tried to explain. "Look, I...well, I feel like I have to take care of her. During those three days...I felt like I wasn't really able to exist anymore. I didn't want to imagine what I'd feel if we didn't find her. Then we did and I swore to myself that something like that would never happen again. I...saw how this has broken her and how much she's struggling with it and all I want to do is helping her. I want to be there, I want to hold her when she has a nightmare, I want to let her cry when she had a breakdown again and I want to show her that crying is okay. I...it's affecting me as well, and that's confusing me. I've always cared for my friends and my family, but this...it's such a new feeling. I've never cared for someone so deeply."

Even more confused he got at the smile Mac gave Danny in response. "What's funny about that?"

"It's not funny," Mac answered. "But it's not surprising me either. I already wondered when you'd realise how much you really care for her. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, Danny. You and Lindsay have a very strong connection and there are more feelings involved than you might know by now. All I can tell you is to believe in them and trust in your heart. It'll tell you what to do, and if this means that you keep on calling her to see if she's alright, you should do that."

Danny couldn't help but blush at Mac's words. He knew exactly what his friend was referring to; he had had those thoughts himself.

"How is therapy doing?" Mac asked then, sensing that he shouldn't go deeper into this emotional topic.

"It's alright I think," he said. "She's not talking about it too much. The therapist said that maybe it'd be a good idea if she got out of town for a while."

"I think that'd be a good idea," Mac agreed. "I'd even go so far and say it'd be good for the both of you."

Danny gave him a confused look. "For the both of us? Nah, I'll be fine."

"If she was out of town and you had to stay here, I doubt you'd get any work done though," Mac answered with a light smile. "I think the both of you deserve some time off and I think it'd be good for her if you joined her."

"But...can you give the both of us time off?" Danny wanted to know. His mind was telling him to contradict, but the idea was too tempting. Mac was right; he wouldn't be able to concentrate, and Lindsay definitely would need it as well.

"Take a week off and see if the two of you can find a nice place for a vacation," Mac answered. "And if I was you, I wouldn't try to argue. I won't change my mind."

Danny couldn't help but smile. "I guess I'll just listen to you then." In fact he was glad; of course he would travel together with Lindsay. Now he only had to convince her as well.

* * *

She was lying on the couch, staring at the TV, but she couldn't really concentrate. It had been the first day of Danny being back at work and Lindsay had to admit it had been more difficult than expected. She had avoided sleeping, afraid of how she would react if she woke up and he was nowhere near. She had tried to distract herself with cleaning his apartment and watching TV, but it hadn't worked as good as she had hoped.

She had told him not to call her so often, but the truth was that she had been excited whenever the phone had rang. It felt good to know he cared for her and thought of her, and that aside it felt good to hear his voice, to talk to him.

Hearing his voice, seeing him or just knowing he was there; the way Lindsay needed him around was scaring her a bit. She knew Danny was supporting her because he wanted to do it, not because she had asked him or put pressure on him. He felt responsible for her, but she couldn't do anything against that. After all she had felt the same way about him when he had to handle the after-effects of what had happened to Louie.

That aside, his comfort helped her more than any therapy could. Danny wasn't judging her behaviour, he was listening to Lindsay when she felt like talking, he didn't mind being woken up several times a night by her. She had to admit this was a whole new side of the man who most of her female co-workers referred to as the player of the lab.

Obviously they had never gotten the chance to see what was behind this behaviour. To her surprise, Danny had allowed the new girl from Montana to have a look behind his mask. Lindsay knew he was a caring and loyal man and she was the lucky one who now got to see it.

There was still so much that was scaring her; she could hardly sleep longer than a few hours, showering still reminded her of how she had been handcuffed to the basin, feeling the water rise. So far, she had refused to leave his apartment. Just the thought of stepping out into the street made her shudder.

When the door was unlocked, she could feel her heart starting to race. Lindsay forced herself to not jump up. He knew of course she was glad Danny was back home, but she didn't want to go too far. So she forced herself to stay on the couch, greeting him with a smile as he stepped into the living room.

"Hey," she greeted him, cursing herself as she realised her voice didn't sound as happy as she tried to pretend. She watched how he made his way over to the couch to join her. His behaviour had caught her attention; it seemed as if there was something he had to share with her. "How was your day at work?"

"Could have been better," Danny answered. She hadn't missed how he had sat down close to her and instinctively she leant in so he could rest his arm around her shoulders. "How was yours?"

"Good," she replied. Before she had spoken out the word completely, he had raised his eyebrows at her and she sighed. "It was fine, really. I'm...glad you're back home though." She paused. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Danny smiled at her. "You know me too well, don't you?" Lindsay felt how he tightened his embrace gently and she shivered lightly at the sudden warmth she could feel rising inside her. "Mac made a suggestion. He asked if we didn't want to take some time off to go on vacation."

"On vacation?" Lindsay asked. She knew her therapist had suggested that some time out of town would probably create some distance between her and this experience. She didn't believe that being at another place would heal what those three days had done to her. "Why?"

Danny shrugged, but his eyes told her another story. "I think he believes that you and I could need some time off."

"What's the real reason?" she wanted to know.

He sighed. "Alright, yeah, I talked to Mac about you. I didn't say much, but he saw that I've not really been concentrating. He said he'd not mind if we took a week off for a little vacation." He hesitated for a moment. "I know you believe that a vacation won't change anything and I also think it won't just make the pain disappear. It's not supposed to heal you magically. But at least for a week or so, you can leave all this crap behind and do something else. We could go to a place where you haven't been for a while, or where you would love to go on vacation to. No matter if it's in the mountains or a beach. Just tell me where you'd like to go to and I'll book the flights."

With his arm around her shoulder, Danny turned her around a bit so he could face her. Once again, Lindsay felt the now so familiar warmth rush through her. "I know you don't even want to leave the apartment at the moment," he said. "But I think this would be good for you. Of course things might be back to normal when we return, but you never know how good you might feel during the vacation, and maybe it'll help you when we're back."

He looked at her with an intensity that stunned her. She knew he cared for her and she had to admit his arguments made sense. Even if a vacation wouldn't change the past and wouldn't let her fears disappear, it might be the difference she needed at the moment. "And you really want to come with me?" she asked then. "Mac's okay with that?"

A smile lit his face and he nodded. "Yeah, he is okay with it and I definitely want to come with you. Just pick a place and I'll book the flights and get everything organised."

"Would you still agree if I asked you to visit my family with me?" Lindsay asked before she knew what she was saying. It seemed as if an inner voice had spoken for her; so far she hadn't even known she wanted to visit them again.

Danny's smile widened. "Actually I think that's a fantastic idea."

Lindsay couldn't help but smile back at him. She knew disagreeing with Danny wouldn't have worked and in fact she knew he was right. It was worth a try. Even if visiting her family wouldn't change anything when she was back in the city, maybe the visit itself would be nice, and right now she was in need of nice experiences.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: And here's another fic which I didn't update in a while! I hope you'll like the update! Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing this story! Special thanks to afrozenheart412, webdlfan, rapidtetv, Dine89 and rhymenocerous!

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She was sitting on the living room couch, her suitcase in front of her. They would go on vacation to Montana for a week. Even though she hadn't expected it, she felt a little excited. She hadn't been in Montana since she had moved to New York a couple of months ago. It would be great to see her family again, to be at the farm, and to be away from the city.

It also meant that Lindsay had to leave the apartment, and something about that was frightening her. Since Danny had taken her home after staying at the hospital, she hadn't left his apartment. She hadn't even stepped out of it. She didn't know exactly what she was scared of; the people? The noises? She couldn't tell.

But she knew Danny was right. Lindsay knew that some distance to this apartment and to this city would help. It wouldn't change her fears, it wouldn't change the past, but it would be a good difference to her current all day life, and meeting her family and being at the place where she had grown up would make her happy. Such experiences were needed now.

"Montana?"

Danny's soft voice interrupted her in her thoughts. It was a sound in his voice which she had gotten used to. He would have run into the room in the past, making lots of noises; he had never really been a quiet person. This had changed since Lindsay was living at his place with him. He was a lot quieter, he spoke a lot softer to her. She was grateful for that. Little things were enough to startle her and she was glad he didn't make it worse.

"The taxi is waiting," he said.

Lindsay nodded. She turned back to her suitcase, not ready to get up yet. The last few weeks had been rough for her. Even if she had been allowed to, she wouldn't be able to go back to work. She was too exhausted. She didn't get enough sleep at night and all the time she felt like she was in a constant state of stress. She was tired and she needed this vacation more than anything.

Danny sensed that something was holding her back though. He came over to the couch and sat down on the coffee table in front of her. She lowered her eyes as he studied her closely. It was his gift to read her mind that was making her nervous.

"This vacation will be good for you," he said, reaching out to take her hands into his. The warmth of his palms seemed to wander through her arms and spread into her entire body. "There's also no pressure, I'm not expecting that you'll run around and do loads of activities with me. If you want to stay at the farm all day, that's fine. We can do whatever you want."

Lindsay couldn't help but sigh at his words. "And what about you?" she wanted to know. "You took time off to go on vacation with me and then you want to be my protector again all the time? I know you said you're doing that because you want to, but isn't that slowly going too far?"

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked. "And I mean because you get tired of it. Do you want me to stop because it's getting too much for you?"

"No, I want you to stop because I fear it's getting too much for you," she answered. "You don't even have an own life anymore. You're together with me all the time, you don't go out, you don't meet anyone, now you're going on vacation with me. I just...don't want you to get tired of me one day because you invested so much into me."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You really think I'd do that?"

"Probably not because you're too polite," she sighed.

Danny rolled his eyes at her. "Oh, come on, Montana, do you really think I'd do that? I suggested the vacation. I didn't have to do that. I could've just let you live here, I also could have just continued going out. But I'm doing this because I love to do it. You'd be surprised by how much you mean to me." He got up. "And now lets hurry or the cabbie will be pissed." He offered his hand to her. "I can see where you're coming from, alright? If you were in my position, I'd also wonder what you were up to. But just believe me that I enjoy being there for you and I want to do it. No more asking, okay? And no feeling bad."

"Is that an order?" she asked.

"Yeah, it is," he answered. Lindsay gazed up at him for a moment. She would never admit it, but she needed him. She felt better when Danny was around, she liked that she could talk to him about her feelings. He would listen to her all the time, he would hold her and give her this warmth and comfort which she needed and which no one else would be able to give her. She just had to believe him, and so she took his hand.

* * *

Danny was no fan of flying, and even though the flight to Montana wasn't long, he didn't like it at all. Lindsay didn't seem to be happy about it either, but he knew this had other reasons. He hadn't missed how she had grasped his hand tightly ever since they had stepped out of his apartment building. He could feel the nervousness radiating from her and it had gotten worse as they had arrived at the very crowded airport.

Now that they weren't at his apartment anymore, Danny could see how much those weeks had affected Lindsay. She was pale, she had lost weight. Sooner or later she had to leave his apartment again though and he thought a peaceful place like a farm would be the best place to train that.

He had made sure to keep her close to his side all the time, giving her the security she needed. Sitting in the small seat in the plane, surrounded by so many people, didn't make her feel better either, but luckily the flight didn't last long. Relief floated through him as they left the plane and a few minutes later the building finally.

"First time ever in Montana," Danny said, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. It was spring, but it wasn't as warm as it had been back home in New York. A cold wind was blowing. Danny caught himself by enjoying it though; the air smelled a lot healthier and fresher. In the distance he could see the forest and the mountains. It felt as if he was looking at a postcard. When he gazed down at Lindsay, he felt warm again immediately. She had a soft smile on her face; something he hadn't seen in a long while. At his words, she looked up at him.

"Do you like our airport?" she asked with a chuckle.

The unexpected reaction distracted him for a moment. He had hoped she would feel better when they would leave the airport, but he hadn't expected that she would visibly relax immediately.

"It's a pretty nice airport," he replied with a wink. "I think I'll love your farm even more though."

"I hope so," she answered, grabbing her suitcase to pull it over to the near taxis. "I have to warn you though. A farm in Montana is very different to what you're used to from New York. It's a pretty big house, somewhere out there in the fields and we actually have animals there."

Danny rolled his eyes at Lindsay, but couldn't help but smile at her words. There was a tiny hint of teasing in her voice. The fact that she had grown up at this place seemed to give her some security. "You think I never met animals before?"

"You said you rarely ever left New York for vacation," Lindsay answered. "So I think you never met a cow in reality."

"And I'm not planning on changing that," he muttered, once again earning a chuckle from her.

On their way to the farm, Lindsay was quiet again, but Danny hadn't missed the change in her behaviour. He knew this change was probably caused by her excitement to be back home and he wouldn't think that now everything would be alright again. The tension inside her seemed to have eased a bit though. Danny had to admit, that it was him who was getting nervous now.

"Is something wrong?"

Glancing down at Lindsay, Danny realised that she had been watching him. It was a gift the two of them shared; they could sense what the other one was feeling. He had noticed this the first time when he had been struggling with the fact that his brother Louie was in coma at the hospital. She had felt he had needed her and hadn't backed off until he had admitted it. Even though she seemed to feel a bit better in her old, familiar territory, he could also still feel that she was close to slipping back into her earlier mood. He knew it would happen, but until then he would try his best to help her and keep her distracted and comfortable for as long as possible.

"You told your parents that I'll visit them as well, right?" he asked. When she nodded, he added, "Is that really okay to them? I mean, I...well, don't want them to have any prejudices or anything."

Lindsay raised her eyebrows at him. "You think my father would run after you because he might believe there's something going on between us?"

Danny cursed himself because he felt his cheeks flush at the truth of her words. "Well, you never know...after all I'm a guy."

"Oh Danny!" She laughed. "They'll love to meet you, okay? Stop worrying."

"Sure." He saw her smile at him, shaking her head in amusement before she turned her attention back to the window. Danny knew he should listen to Lindsay; he was her friend. But still he couldn't help his nervousness, because he knew that those feelings he had for her had nothing to do with friendship, and he wasn't sure on how much longer he would be able to hide that in front of her. Sighing again, he stared out of the window himself, hoping that this vacation would turn out to be good for him as well.

* * *

The closer they got to the farm the more excited Lindsay got. She had underrated how coming back to Montana would make her feel after all those months. She had missed her old home and she had to admit that the timing of visiting her family again couldn't have been better. Being at the airport and the flight had been almost unbearable for her; too many people, to many noises. She had listened to Danny and stopped worrying whether she was asking for too much support or not; she had simply grabbed his hand and looked for comfort which he had willingly given to her.

Ever since they had left the airport and had entered the taxi which would take them to the farm, she had felt the strong and overwhelming tension inside her ease a lot. She was looking forward to staying at the farm for a whole week. Lindsay knew that expecting this one week would be enough to heal her and would help her to get rid of her fears and pain was unrealistic. The change of location and the distance between herself and New York had a calming effect on her though. Mentally, she was urging the driver to hurry up. She couldn't wait to be back, to see the place where she had grown up at, to see her family again.

And then the taxi had arrived at the farm. Like they had promised, her parents were waiting in front of the entrance of the main house. Her heart was beating hard in her chest at the sight of her beloved family members who she hadn't seen for such a long time. The car had barely stopped when she had already left it and hurried over to them. Tears were fogging her eyes as she threw herself into her parents' open arms, feeling as if she hadn't been away for a single day. It seemed as if nothing else mattered for a couple of moment. The city and all the pain she had to suffer during the last few weeks seemed to be nothing else but a dull memory, hidden somewhere in the depth of her mind. She was home, and all those fears, all this pain could no longer hurt her, at least for a few moments.

"Oh, Linds," Hannah Monroe said as she embraced her daughter tightly before she pulled her back again to study her child. The older woman had tears in her eyes as well, but a bright smile was plastered all over her face. "You've already gotten me all excited when you said you'd like to come over for a week, but actually seeing you in person...you've been missed so much."

Lindsay laughed as she fought with her own tears. She hadn't missed the worry which Hannah tried to hide but which she could clearly see in her mother's eyes. Lindsay knew her bruises hadn't healed yet and she hadn't bothered to cover them with make-up. She turned to her father who was fighting with crying as well; something she rarely got to see.

"Dad, since when are you crying? You always said that's something only women do," she couldn't help but say and Darren Monroe laughed.

"Come here," he said, embracing his only daughter tightly. "Your old father is allowed to cry when he sees his big girl again after so many months. It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back," Lindsay replied. She was struggling with the emotions that were rushing through her, but even though she could feel the old fears and memories return at the worry in her parents' eyes, she tried to focus on her excitement about being back home.

"I think now would also be a good time to introduce us to our other guest," Hannah said then, giving Lindsay a wink. Just then she realised she had completely forgotten that she wasn't alone. Blushing bright red, she turned around to Danny who was standing next to the heap of suitcases. The taxi had left again. He was smiling at her and almost she felt sorry for him as his nervousness was so obvious.

"How rude of me," she said, stepping next to Danny with an apologizing smile. "I'm so sorry," she added whispering.

His smile widened. "No worries."

With a nod, she took his hand and pulled him over to her waiting parents. It was his turn to squeeze her hand this time, and with another short glance, she tried to signal him that there was no need to be worried.

"Mom, Dad, this is Danny," she introduced him. "Danny, these are my parents, Hannah and Darren Monroe. If I were you, I'd not call them 'Mr. And Mrs. Monroe', because they hate that. Just use their forenames."

"Thanks for the warning," Danny replied with a wink. Lindsay smiled; for a moment she had played with the chance to take revenge for the trick he had played on her on her first day but then had changed her mind. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze again, pushing him towards her parents. He let them welcome him and as he realised that there was no danger to be expected from neither her mother nor her father, he relaxed visibly.

"Your timing is fantastic," Hannah said then. Her eyes were sparkling in excitement. "I was just about to finish cooking lunch. Linds, why don't you show Danny around until it's finished and then we'll have lunch together?"

"There's also no need to be scared of us, son," Darren added with a knowing look at Danny. "We don't bite."

"I hope so," Danny answered with a slight smile.

Lindsay chuckled softly at the exchange. Only she knew that her father had already started to like Danny, mainly because of everything she had told him about her friend already. "I guess that's a good idea."

Her parents had headed off towards the house already when she reached for her suitcase. For a moment, she turned around, allowing herself to take in the familiar view in front of her. It seemed as if ages had passed since she had been at the farm for the last time, yet it felt as if she hadn't been away longer than a few hours. She closed her eyes, for a minute just enjoying the warmth of the sun and the cool wind on her face.

"It must feel good to be back," Danny said softly.

With a smile on her face, Lindsay turned around to him again. "I should have known that this vacation was a good idea. Thanks for doing that for me." She paused. "And thanks for coming with me."

"Anytime," he answered and she knew he meant it.

Lindsay knew that a week on this farm wouldn't replace therapy and it also wouldn't change the past. The pain would return, so would the fear. It was a long process. But she knew Danny would support her and she also knew that this week wouldn't only help her to feel better but would also bring them even closer together.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks for reading, reviewing and adding this fic to your favourites and alerts! I'm happy you are enjoying the fic so far! Special thanks to afrozenheart412 and Dine89!**

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**Lindsay had wondered how it would feel like to visit her family again and to be back in Montana, back at the farm. Leaving to move to New York had been a huge step for her and she had been scared of it at first. The relationship between herself and her family was close; closer than to anyone she had ever met up to then. Being so many miles apart from them was a huge challenge as she had never lived anywhere else but Bozeman up to then.

The distance also was supposed to help her though. Years in the past, she had to face a nightmare that had shaken her up and changed her forever. Never she had managed to get over it completely; somewhere along the line, the memories had come back to the surface again, had hurt like on the day that had been responsible for so many months and years of pain. Those miles between Montana and New York had been supposed to create a distance between Lindsay and this event.

It hadn't worked too well at first; homesickness had tortured her, so had those memories that still sometimes found their way into her mind, especially when she had to work certain cases. Her friendship to Danny had helped her to push those memories into a deep, dark corner of her mind. Cases had been rough and painful at times, but somehow, even without knowing what had happened to her, Danny had distracted her, had lightened her mood. Lindsay knew he had felt that something was bothering her, but he had never asked. Instead he had just been a good friend.

Unfortunately New York hadn't been an escape for her for long. As if this traumatic event from the past hadn't tortured her vulnerable soul enough already, she had been kidnapped by an insane colleague and had been tortured by him for three days. Three days she would never forget. Once again she was shaken up, she had gotten into the position of a victim and was trying to get out of the hole she had fallen into. At least those events from her past seemed to have no space in her mind at the moment. Instead it was filled with nightmares and fears that hardly let her calm down for longer than a few minutes.

Now she was back in Montana with the hope that a week at home would help her to feel better. Calling her mother to explain why she and Danny wanted to visit them hadn't been easy. Lindsay had tried to keep the facts to herself, but her mother didn't have to listen to her longer than a few seconds to hear that something was bothering her daughter. Lindsay had summed up the events from those three days and before she had finished completely, Hannah Monroe had made sure that her daughter knew she was expected on the farm with her friend in the following days.

Lindsay knew that her mother had had a long conversation with her father, and that it had been painful for them both. They had seen her move as a chance to leave her past behind enough so that she could start fresh. Now this fresh start had resulted in yet another trauma. She had seen it in their eyes as they had greeted her, she had seen it while they had had lunch.

Lindsay had waited until her father and Danny had headed into the living room. She had offered to help her mother in the kitchen; the chance to bring the topic up once again.

"Your friend is really nice, Linds," Hannah said with a smile as she and Lindsay were putting the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. "It's lovely of him that he decided to come with you. Although he seems to be a bit nervous."

Lindsay smiled. "He thinks Dad could have a problem with him because he's a man."

Hannah chuckled. "I think your father knows you're old enough. I think because of the fact that Danny was the one who suggested this vacation and after all he did for you lately, your father likes him a lot already."

Lindsay nodded. "I think that as well." She paused for a moment. The start of those conversations was never easy. "Mom...I know what you're thinking. It wasn't wrong that I moved to New York. No one could have known that this officer would turn out to be such an insane person. It could have happened here as well."

"It shouldn't have happened to you though," Hannah answered, in the honesty Lindsay had learnt from her mother. "Lindsay, I know how selfish that is of me. I wouldn't wish that to anyone else, but...you had to face a trauma once..."

"I'll handle it," Lindsay answered even though she wasn't convinced by that. "All those weeks in New York...yes, I was homesick at first, and some cases kept on bringing back all those old memories. But...I felt so much better. I won't give another insane idiot the power of making me a victim again."

Hannah nodded slowly. She gazed at Lindsay for a moment, with a look which she knew only too well. Her mother could read her like an open book. Lindsay knew that easing her mother's concern wouldn't succeed. If she had a child herself, she wouldn't feel any different. Seeing the own child face one traumatic experience was horrible. Seeing this child again after yet another event like that had to be unbearable. The goal of every parent was to protect their child, to keep all harm away from them. Hannah and Darren knew that they weren't to blame for what had happened to their daughter, but the feeling wouldn't go away, no matter how often they would be reminded of that.

"How have you been feeling lately?" Hannah asked then.

Lindsay looked at her with her cheeks flushing. Her mother was direct, but Lindsay knew it was the way she had to be treated, otherwise she wouldn't open up. "Not too well," she admitted. "I'm...seeing a therapist if that's what you want to know. Danny's there for me a lot as well. He's just wonderful. He's always there when I'm having nightmares. He's helping me a lot with...everything." Her voice trailed off. There was a lot more she had to say; that she hadn't been able to leave the apartment ever since she had come home from the hospital. Or that she had needed a while until she had been able to have a proper shower again. Or that she could hardly handle being alone. One look into her mother's face told her that even though Hannah didn't know the details, she understood, and she took the hint.

"It was a good decision to come here for a week," Hannah said. "Make sure you don't shut us out."

Lindsay smiled softly. "I think Danny did great with convincing me that I should talk about it. It's working quite well so far." Her smile widened a bit. "And I know, if I need anything I know where to find you. Just try to not bug yourself with concern all the time. It's hard. But...I can't turn back time, and you can't do that either. I'll deal with it and I think with so many people around me who want to help me, it should work somewhere along the line."

Lindsay didn't miss the change of expression in Hannah's eyes. Her mother was proud of her. She had made huge progresses over the years. Now she was back and she needed support, from her parents and from Danny. She had learnt to open up to them all and she was determined to let them help her.

* * *

Danny had to admit that when he and Lindsay had arrived at the farm, he had been more nervous than he had expected. He wasn't together with her, not yet, but somehow he felt like Darren Monroe had felt that his interest in Lindsay didn't have much to do with friendship anymore. Don had to be right; obviously his feelings for her were more obvious than he had thought.

Darren Monroe seemed to like him though. The man was open and friendly to him. In a quiet moment, he had thanked him for talking Lindsay into this vacation and had admitted that he hoped he would continue taking care of his daughter. To Danny, this wasn't even up to debating.

It was late afternoon as Lindsay finally led him into the room where they would spend the following week; her old room. Danny felt a little hesitation as he stepped into the room where she had grown up in. He assumed there hadn't changed much over the years; there was still a small bed located below the window, a large closet and walls that were covered in pictures. Pictures of Lindsay, her family and a couple of other people who he didn't know. Even though he tried his best, he couldn't help but stare at the huge amount of pictures. Obviously she hadn't been into posters, but he rather enjoyed seeing pictures that showed her in various different ages.

She had always been an adorable girl and later a beautiful woman, but in some pictures, he saw something in her eyes that confused him. The expression reminded him of what he had gotten to see in her eyes over the last few weeks. He knew there was something hidden in her past; she had made hints occasionally. But he also knew that now wasn't the time to ask questions about the past. If she was ready for it and felt that it was necessary, she would talk to him about it. Right now, her current situation had to be taken care of.

"I know my bed isn't the biggest and if you rather want your own room, that's fine to me as well," Lindsay said as she heaved her suitcase onto said bed. She blushed at the surprised look Danny gave her.

"You'd like me to sleep here?" he wanted to know, just in case he had understood her right. "Wouldn't your parents have a problem with that?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, come on. I'm an adult, I can have whoever I want in my bed. Plus you and I aren't doing anything in there."

"True," Danny answered, cursing himself for the sound of his voice. He wasn't planning on starting anything intimate with her, but he also couldn't deny what he was feeling for her. Those feelings were stronger than physical longing though, and he would wait until he was sure she was ready for his confession.

She looked back at him for a moment as if debating with herself what to do next. Danny could feel that Lindsay wanted to explain to him what she had in mind. He felt the urge to tell her that there was nothing to explain, but he stayed quiet. She walked over to him and stopped a few inches in front of Danny. Immediately, he could feel the familiar tension between them which increased as she locked eyes with him.

"I can understand if you'd like to have your own room," she explained to him. "That'll be fine. You could sleep in the guests room or in the room of one of my brothers."

"But?" he asked. "I want you to stop finally. Stop thinking what I might want, because so far you seem to always get it wrong. So why don't you just tell me what you want for a change?"

Lindsay's face reddened even more. "Well...I'd just be happy if we continued...sharing a bed. I know I'm asking for a lot here and I don't mind if you don't want that. But...it feels good to know you're there when I wake up. It's so...comforting, you know?"

Even though the situation was serious, Danny couldn't help but smile at her words. "Well, then..." He couldn't help himself; following an instinct which he didn't try to analyse, he closed the last bit of distance between them and gently closed her into his arms. A warmth floated through him as she instantly snuggled into him, her arms wrapping around his waist. "Then I think you'll be happy to know that I'd love to share your bed with you." In a teasing voice, he added, "But we don't have to tell your parents about that."

Lindsay chuckled. "I'm sure they don't mind. They like you a lot." She tightened her grip around him. "Thank you. You're such a wonderful man."

"You know I'd do everything for you," he answered and this time without hesitation, he placed a gentle kiss into her hair.

Danny had paid attention to how Lindsay had answered. She hadn't referred to him as a friend this time. The way she was cuddling with him in the middle of her old bedroom was another hint to him that she was feeling the same strong connection between them. Maybe this week in Montana was needed so they would be able to admit those feelings to each other.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Yep, this time I'm a bit faster with updating! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Special thanks to Dine89, afrozenheart412 and rhymenocerous!**

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**When Lindsay woke up, she felt like she had slept a hundred years. She had woken up at night a couple of times briefly after yet another scary nightmare but had managed to fall asleep at least a little sooner than usually. Those nightmares were still as frightening as ever and she hated it. There had been a time in her past when she had suffered from nightmares. She had hoped to never experience something like that again. Now she had to got through it once more and it was exhausting her.

She was in the need of sleep. Even if she had been allowed to, she wouldn't have been able to work like that. She could hardly concentrate; for various reasons. She was so sleepy that sometimes she couldn't even keep her eyes open. If she then had to work strange shifts and would have an even more messed up sleeping schedule, she would sooner or later completely break down.

It seemed that even though last night she had woken up a couple of times, she had slept a lot better. She had slept deeper she assumed. It often happened to people who hadn't been in the mountains for a while and then came over to Montana; the fresh air and everything exhausted more and let the people sleep better. It seemed as if it had worked for Lindsay as well.

Yawning lightly, she rolled onto her back, just to realise that something was preventing her from turning around fully. A soft smile lit Lindsay's face as she realised that Danny had wrapped an arm around her tightly, holding her close.

He could have slept in another room; he would have had his own bed and wouldn't have been woken up every time she had a nightmare. All he had said in response was that he would feel when she wasn't feeling well anyway and then he would have to walk through half of the house to get to her. So sleeping in her bed was just selfish of him; that was what he had tried to make her believe. Lindsay knew that all he wanted to do was being close to her, being able to support her.

It still didn't seem real. Lindsay had always felt the connection between her and Danny. It had gotten even stronger when his brother had been beaten into coma and he had needed someone for support. She had been this person for him. She had listened to childhood stories for hours, just as she had listened to how the relationship between the brothers had later gotten so complicated.

She had discovered that she had stronger feelings than she had been willing to admit at first; she was falling in love with him. Now during the last few weeks, they had spent every single day together. They were living together and sharing a bed. They were so close, every single day. Why was he doing that for her? Because he cared for her as a friend or because he was feeling more as well?

Watching him so closely, Lindsay couldn't help herself. Reaching out to him, she gently brushed her fingertips over his cheek. He stirred lightly and before she could pull her hand back, Danny opened his eyes, staring right up into hers. She cursed herself as she felt her cheeks reddening immediately at the light smile she received from him.

"Good morning," he said. "What a nice way to wake up...with a beautiful woman in my bed."

Lindsay rolled her eyes at him, couldn't help but smile though. "You got that wrong. This is still my bed. You're just a guest."

Danny chuckled at her words. "Fine. But you have to admit the 'beautiful woman' part is right. I won't accept any other answer."

She sighed deeply. "Will you ever stop teasing me?"

"You'd not want that," he answered simply. "So tell me...how did you sleep tonight?"

"Fine," Lindsay replied. "I actually don't feel so tired anymore."

"That's good," Danny said with a smile. "Then I'm sure you're up to going out today a bit."

At this suggestion Lindsay instantly felt an uncomfortable feeling rising in the pit of her stomach. "Oh, I don't know..."

"Why not?" he asked back. "See, I can understand why you didn't want to leave the apartment back home in Montana. You'd have to face all those people out there. Even in Central Park, you wouldn't really be alone. I can understand you didn't want to face all those strangers and that it scared you. But out here? We're living on a farm here. There are no other people but your parents around. I didn't say we'd have to go to Bozeman or anything. We could just go for a walk. You could show me some of your favourite places for example." He paused. "Lindsay, I just want you to get out of this house. I know it's not easy, but you need to get used to that again. And where can you learn that better than here?"

Lindsay had to admit that he was right. She couldn't hide in the house forever. Sooner or later, she would have to go back to work in New York. She wouldn't be able to do that any time soon if she wasn't even able to go for a walk out here in the country.

"I guess you'll be bored though," she said.

Danny laughed. "Ah, come on, don't try that on me. I might have never been in the countryside before, but maybe it's a nice difference? So far all I know is New York. It's good to get to know something else now."

Lindsay nodded. "Alright. So...if we go for a walk a bit later, will that be enough for today?"

"Yeah, that will be enough," he answered with a smile. "I don't expect you to rush anything. We're here for a whole week and this is again no class you have to pass. All I want is that you start to go out again slowly. Step by step."

"I know that." She sighed again. "Alright, fine, we'll go for a walk later."

"Think of something nice already," he said with a wink. "And make sure you know where we're going to. I won't be helpful as a travel guide."

She chuckled. "Don't worry, I know this country. You can trust in me." And even though she wouldn't admit it, she was looking forward to this walk already.

* * *

"Do you regret your suggestion already?" Lindsay asked with a light smile at Danny.

"No," he answered. "Why?"

She chuckled. "Because this definitely isn't New York."

She couldn't be more right with this statement. Like promised, they had left the farm after breakfast. Lindsay's mother had prepared a picnic basket for them so they could stay out in the country for lunch. Danny was surprised by how heavy the basket was and he couldn't help but wonder if this had to do with his own famous appetite. He didn't have a doubt that Lindsay had joked about that in front of her mother.

Currently, they were wandering through the forest and he dearly hoped that she knew what she was doing; he had absolutely no idea where they were now and how they would be able to get back to the farm.

Even though he wasn't used to so much nature, Danny had to admit that he enjoyed it. His surroundings couldn't be more different to New York City, but this didn't mean anything bad at all.

"I like it here," he admitted to her. "Really, I do. Yeah, I'm not used to all this country stuff, but there's something nice about it. I mean, the air seems to be so much fresher, it's nice to actually hear the birds and the wind instead of cars. And it's great to not have so many people around you."

His heart started to beat faster as he saw the smile she gave him in response. "That's sweet of you," she said.

Danny raised an eyebrow at Lindsay. "You don't think I'm just saying that to please you, right?"

Lindsay shrugged. "I guess no?"

He sighed playfully. "Montana, you should know me better by now. "I'm an honest man. I don't lie at people just to please them. Even if it's you." He winked at her. "I mean it, okay? I love being out here. Would be even nicer if I knew where we were actually going to."

She smiled at him. "You said you trust in me. So wait and see."

More he didn't get from her. Instead he had to follow her in silence for another half an hour. The picnic basket was getting heavier and heavier and just as he was ready to complain about it, they left the forest, just to arrive at a large lake. His eyes widened at the sight which reminded him of a postcard. The lake was surrounded by the forest and in the distance, he could see the mountains towering above it. It was a stunning sight.

"Here we are," Lindsay said proudly, her smile widening as she saw Danny's impressed look. "I thought there's no better place for a nice picnic than a lake."

She was already spreading the large blanket on the grass when he finally tore his eyes away from the view and joined her. "You surely know how to find the beautiful places," he admitted.

She chuckled. "This is one of my favourite places. You can do so much here; you can go swimming, you can lie in the sun and listen to the water...there's always something nice to do. In summer, sometimes you find other people out here as well, but it's never so crowded that you could feel uncomfortable."

"I think I like your beloved Montana more and more," Danny answered with a wink. He joined her on the blanket. Lindsay offered another smile before she lay down on her back and closed her eyes. Instead of doing the same, he couldn't help but stare at her for a moment. During her first months in New York, he had often seen her happy and excited; it was something he loved about her a lot. She always had this beautiful smile, even when she was working on a case. Everything seemed to excite her. Such a behaviour was rare.

Then those three days had happened and he had gotten to see another side of her. All the time, he had been longing for this beautiful smile again. He knew that healing those wounds which couldn't been seen would take a very long time and would require a lot of patience. All he wanted though was that she finally felt better, that she finally could smile again.

Like right now. He knew her good enough by now to know that this smile wouldn't last long. It was a huge progress compared to how she had been feeling all the time before though. There had been no light and happy moments. Not even for a few minutes. Right now she was lying next to him, smiling as she was enjoying one of her favourite places and just the sight of that made him happy.

"You really love being here, don't you?" Danny asked, lying down next to her.

Lindsay opened her eyes again and smiled at him. Just then, he realised how close he had lain down next to her; closer than necessary. For a moment, he wondered if he should increase the distance between them, but then decided to stay where he was. They had already gotten used to the lack of body space during the last weeks; they even shared a bed and it didn't happen quite often that they woke up in each other's arms.

"I do," she answered. "But I also love to be in New York. It's my new home, you know."

Danny couldn't help but smile at her answer. "You know me too well. I know you won't just move back to Montana."

"Then why are you worried because of that?" she wanted to know.

He shrugged. "I guess I just wanted you to confirm it for me. That you love New York even though all that happened there."

"Well, if that was a reason to not like the city anymore, I wouldn't come back to Montana anymore either," she answered.

"How do you mean?" Danny looked at her in confusion. He noticed how her cheeks reddened.

"I'll tell you another time," Lindsay explained. "It's just...a couple of years ago, something happened here as well. It's one reason why I wanted to move to New York so much." She shook her head as if to clear her mind, trying to smile again. He knew this behaviour; there were memories which she tried to get rid of when she did that. She wanted to stay in control over her feelings. He knew sooner or later she would tell him what he wanted to know and he wouldn't question her. "New York is my home. Especially because of...well, you."

Danny's expression changed from confused to surprised. "Because of me?"

Lindsay's face was bright red now. "Yes. When I moved to New York, I hoped that I'd get along well with my new co-workers and maybe would even make some friends in the city. I thought you didn't really like me at first but now..." She paused. "No one apart from my family ever did something like that for me and...there's no person who I feel more comfortable with."

"I think it's pretty rare, isn't it?" he asked her, trying to not grin too much at the rushes of excitement he was feeling at her words. "That two people get along so well. I mean, we didn't have to do anything for that. We just got closer and closer until we..." He stopped, his eyes widening in surprise at the realisation of what he had almost admitted to her. Danny knew he was in love with Lindsay; he knew that for quite a while now. He didn't want to do anything that was inappropriate at the moment, but he didn't know how much longer he could keep his thoughts to himself.

"Until we what?" she asked back.

Danny glanced back at Lindsay, unsure on what to say. He wanted to admit his feelings to her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. The expression in her eyes was telling him how much she wanted to know what he had in mind, and even though he wasn't sure whether this was a good idea or not, he decided to give her an answer.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hey! I hope you don't mind that I'm updating this fic again! The thing is, my inspiration comes unexpected and right now, I have many ideas for this story. Doesn't mean I forgot about my others of course. ;) Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing this fic! Special thanks to afrozenheart412, webdlfan, rapidtetv, Dine89 and Alex Joleta!**

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**"Until what?" she had asked him. Now Lindsay was waiting for an answer and even though Danny knew exactly what he wanted to say, he found it hard to find the right words. For a long time now, he knew how strong his feelings were for Lindsay, but still Danny wasn't sure whether to admit them to her or not.

He was hesitant because he didn't know whether she wanted to deal with such feelings at the moment or not. In her eyes he could see that she wanted an answer though, and she deserved an honest answer. Lying to her wasn't fair; this would probably hurt her more than anything.

It was a big step for him, but it had to be made. He had carefully hinted how much he was feeling for her before. But so far he had refused to admit how strong said feelings really were. He had never done this before. It had happened a couple of times that women had confessed their feelings to him, but Danny had never done it himself. Just the thought of that had scared him; opening his heart to a person who could then use his honesty against him and hurt him.

Lindsay was different though. She wasn't just a random woman. She wasn't someone who he had picked up at a bar or elsewhere and who he had shared a few nights with. In fact they hadn't even kissed yet. The connection between them had built in another way. Danny hadn't been sure if a friendship was a good base for a relationship. Of course he had soon found out that feelings couldn't be controlled. He had started to realise that his Montana was more than just a great friend. He had started to see her in a different way, more and more. Those three days then had answered all open questions; he had feelings for her that were stronger than anything he had experienced before.

And she wanted to know about those feelings. It was a huge and definitely not easy step, but he would make it. She wouldn't hurt his feelings; his instinct was telling him that. He just had to give it a try and hope that she would listen and understand.

"I can only speak for myself here of course," Danny explained then. "But I guess I fell in love with you." He couldn't help but turn his gaze away. He didn't dare to have a look at her reaction to his confession. Sighing softly, he added, "I don't know how that all happened. I always thought we were just friends until I realised there are some things that were just not fitting to a normal friendship. I kept on thinking about you, more than I would about any other of my friends. I...well, I'm attracted to you. I know it's not polite, but sometimes I just can't help but stare at you. If someone asked me to describe you, what I'd say possibly wouldn't have much to do with friendship either."

His voice trailed off. There was so much more he wanted to say, but currently Danny's own thoughts were confusing him. He threw a short glance at Lindsay, finding her gazing back at him in surprise. Her cheeks had reddened lightly, but despite his expectations, there was nothing in her eyes that could indicate that she had a problem with what he had just confessed.

"How...would you describe me?" she asked, in a mix of curiosity and nervousness.

He offered a light smile. "How I'd describe you? You're a wonderful person. You're funny and friendly. I know I can always come to you, no matter if I just want to have a good chat or because I have a problem and need support. I can joke with you but I can also have a serious conversation with you. I know I can fully trust in you. You're a very strong person; you keep on proving that. What you had to go through during the last weeks and especially during those three days would have broken everyone else. But look at yourself. You're sitting here with me, trying to get better, trying to get things back on track. You broke down so many times, yet you never gave up or complained because of that. You kept on fighting. You have a strong personality. I'm amazed by that." He paused and his smile widened a bit. "Apart from that you're a beautiful and sexy woman. I love looking in your eyes and getting lost in them. I love running my hand through your curls. And I love holding you in my arms, feeling how warm and soft you are when you snuggle into me."

His speech had been longer than expected. Danny had never had a problem with being honest. He was no liar. But when it came to feelings, opening his heart had been one of the biggest challenges he could think of. As he had started and spoken the first few words, it seemed to have gotten easier though. All of the sudden, he could even look at Lindsay as he explained to her what he was feeling, what he was thinking about her. Just as he was speaking though, he also started to realise that even if she backed off now, this wouldn't change his feelings for her at all. There was something else he wanted her to know though and he used the fact that she was stunned and overwhelmed by his feelings for a little addition.

"Like I said, I can only speak for myself," he added. "I don't know what you're thinking and I hope you know that I don't expect you to feel the same way about me. I just wanted to let you know. That's all. Either you're feeling the same way or you don't. You mean so much to me and I won't let anything ruin our friendship. I promised you to be there for you, no matter what. This won't change, even if you say that I'm nothing else but a good friend for you." Once again he smiled. "I guess thanks to you, I learnt a lesson. Mac once said that love could happen to everyone. Until those three days when I was going crazy because of you, I just thought I was attracted to my co-worker. Can happen, right? But during those three days, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat. All that mattered was you. You were the center of my thoughts. You were all that mattered to me. You can't imagine how grateful I was when we found out where you were. And when you were at the hospital and they said that everything was fine. I guess this experience made me get it. Mac was right again. It can happen to everyone and it happened to me. And guess what? I'm not even scared of it anymore. You can't do anything against feelings. If so, I guess I'd never allowed myself to fall in love with you. It just happened. I can't do anything to make it stop and I think I don't even want to. But I want you to know that no matter how you're feeling yourself, it won't change anything between us. Just keep that in mind."

Danny didn't know whether this explanation was helpful or not. He didn't know whether he could be friends with Lindsay, knowing that she didn't share his feelings for her. It would be a challenge but this would be his problem. He would handle it for her. Right now, all he cared for was her. No matter if this meant they were friends or anything else. Still he felt nervousness rising as he waited for her reaction.

* * *

When Lindsay had asked Danny what exactly he had been talking about when he had suddenly interrupted his little speech, she hadn't expected to find out which strong feelings he had for her. From him, she knew that he was no talker when it came to feelings. She clearly remembered a conversation a while back as it really seemed to have been just friendship between them. He had had problems with his ex-girlfriend Cindy. Lindsay had asked him if he had ever told her how he was feeling for her. Danny had answered that apart from the fact that he didn't love this woman, he wouldn't even tell her if he did. He wasn't willing to be the first one to open up when it came to such an intimate and sensitive topic.

He had been scared to confess his feelings in the fear that the woman would use this knowledge against him; an understandable fear. Even more surprised she was now. Such an honest confession she hadn't expected at all. And he hadn't been lying. In Danny's eyes, Lindsay could see that he wasn't expecting anything back. He was curious, even nervous a bit. But he wasn't going to break their friendship if she confessed that she was still only seeing a friend in her.

It took Lindsay a moment to realise what this behaviour actually meant. Danny hadn't only dared to do what he had never wanted to do, he also was willing to accept a broken heart if this meant their friendship would continue. She didn't need to hear more to understand that those feelings he had for her weren't just attraction or a crush, like Sid had said. Those feelings went deeper.

Just like hers. As Lindsay was sitting in front of Danny, near the beautiful lake in the middle of the forest in Montana, she realised a warmth spreading inside her which was entirely new to her, yet she knew exactly what she was feeling.

Things had been rough during the last couple of weeks. They still were. Lindsay could still feel the constant rollercoaster she had to deal with. There were moments in which she felt good, then all of the sudden and without a warning the panic returned. It could be during the day, it could be in the middle of the night. She was still having nightmares. She was still feeling fear rising in the depth of her chest whenever she stepped under a shower. She still could hardly bear being alone for longer than a few minutes, especially not in a dark room.

But things were bearable when he was around. She felt better when Danny joined her in the bathroom, doing something random although she knew he was just there to calm her down. She felt better when he helped her through her nightmares with holding her, rocking her in his arms gently. She felt better when he came back home, when he talked to her or just listened. Lindsay knew he had no idea what he was actually doing; he was following his instinct. Said instinct though was making him do all the right things for her.

The fact that she needed him so much and felt so comfortable when he was there wasn't the only reason why she knew that she was sharing his feelings. Various things had made her realise it. And now as she had listened to his gentle words about her, she knew it for a fact.

Gazing up at him, Lindsay needed a couple of moments before she could explain to Danny what she was feeling herself.

"I have to admit I've never really been sure if a friendship between men and women could work," she tried to explain then. "I thought it'd work for us at first, but I guess I was wrong." She smiled softly at his confused expression. "That's supposed to mean that I'm feeling the same way. I also don't really get how it happened and why. The feelings were there all of the sudden. I guess it was a process which we didn't really notice. I guess your friends also kept on saying that there's something between us?" When he nodded, she continued, "I guess people could see it before we knew it. We got closer and closer, we got attracted to each other. I guess it was those three days that made us wake up."

Lindsay had to stop for a moment. There was so much she wanted to explain to Danny, but just mentioning the time which she had spent in the warehouse caused her heart to race. It was hammering hard in her chest as she felt herself starting to shiver again. Memories rushed through her mind like painful waves and she couldn't do much against them. Her small hands clenched together and as she gazed down at them, the sight of her still bruised, injured wrists caused the strong lump in her throat to return.

"We can talk about that later if you want," Danny said softly. She saw how one of his hands came to rest on top of hers. It seemed as if heat was radiating from it, spreading through her arms and into her whole body. She shook her head.

"No, it's fine," she answered. "It's just...while I was there, what kept me sane was thinking of you. I don't know why, but I just knew you'd try and find me, no matter how. I knew you'd show up somewhere along the line. I kept on thinking of you when he attacked me or when I was in those rooms. I just tried to block everything else out and think of you. You...can't imagine how grateful I was when I heard you shouting and banging against the door. And when you were in and freed me. You can't imagine how good it felt to be held by you. I...I just wanted you to be there. That's why I was so glad when you stayed at the hospital and when you offered me to stay at your place. I feel so comfortable around you. It's not just because I need you now. I mean...I could have also thought about everyone else while being there. But it was you. I wanted you to come." Tears were fogging her view and she could hardly breath as the lump in her throat thickened while she thought of how much she had thought of him during those three days. "It took me a bit until I understood that I just...I think whatever we have is stronger than a friendship. I could just second everything you said earlier. I really think it was a process and now that we know about it...I guess I'm surprised how strong those feelings actually are." She chuckled softly. "I never expected myself to speak out all that so easily." She looked up at him, through her tears seeing that he was smiling at her lightly. His hand squeezed hers gently.

She was saying the truth; she had never seen herself as someone who was willing to talk about her feelings like that; it was one of many things they had in common. Despite his own worry though, Danny had started it; he had confessed his feelings and after the first difficulties, Lindsay hadn't minded to do the same.

And there they sat, in the middle of the Montanan nature, at one of the most beautiful places in the near area, and both were stunned by the honest confessions they had just made. Lindsay was still struggling with the memories which she was trying to push back into a deep, dark corner of her mind, but to her surprise another feeling was more dominant. As she was gazing back at Danny, she could see all his feelings in his eyes. She had seen so many different sides of him already; the flirting player, the funny friend, the supportive listener. But it was the first time that she saw a man who was in love. With her.

She barely felt how he took her hands into his gently and moved closer. She only noticed how close they were when she was staring up into those deep blue eyes, feeling his warm breath on her face. And before Lindsay knew what she was doing, she and Danny were kissing each other.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey! Here is a new update again. :) Thanks so very much to everyone who is still reading and reviewing this fic! I'm really grateful for your support! Special thanks to Dine89, afrozenheart412, Alex Joleta, Lindsay1234, rhymenocerous and rapidtetv!**

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The kiss was gentle and soft. Danny hadn't expected that Lindsay would indeed kiss him, but as he felt her soft lips on his, it seemed as if he had kissed her a million times already. Immediately, he got lost in the wonderful sensation, feeling a strong warmth rising which spread into every inch of his body.

Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her, gently pulling her against him. He allowed her a moment to back off for the case this closeness was too much for her, but instead she snuggled into him. There was so much longing in their kiss, but yet it was by far not only caused by sexual tension. He wanted to kiss her for such a long time now, he loved this strong connection between them. Now they had finally admitted their feelings for each other, and the kiss that answered all open questions was even more wonderful than he had expected.

Hours seemed to have passed while the kiss actually only lasted a few minutes. When they parted, Danny felt the strong urge to kiss Lindsay again. He wanted to feel those soft, warm lips, wanted to enjoy the intensity of this little gesture that said more than words.

But next to the wonderful feelings the kiss had caused, he could feel nervousness rising as well. Did this kiss have the same meaning for her. He searched eye contact and as she looked up at him, a soft, almost shy smile lit her face.

"I can't believe this," Lindsay said then.

"Can't believe what?" Danny asked, feeling his nervousness increasing.

"I can't believe what you're doing with me," she explained, still with her soft smile. "Do you know that...for the first time in weeks I'm actually happy? There's no other voice in the back of my head, telling me to feel bad. There is no lump in my throat. No pain. No fear. I'm just happy." He could see tears glistering in her eyes, but this time he knew they were tears of joy. "I almost forgot how this feels like."

He couldn't reply. Even if he had known what to say, he wouldn't have been able to form a proper sentence. This little confession that was so full of susprise, gratitude and happiness had completely surprised him, and affected him so much that he had to swallow hard to fight his own tears back. He knew this happiness wouldn't be a constant state and that sooner or later, the negative feelings would return. If he was able to make her feel like that for pcertain periods which would get longer and longer with the time, he would try his best to make her happy as often as possible until she would be able to leave tis nightmare behind.

Closing the distance between them again, Danny embraced Lindsay. Once again, his lips found hers in yet another soft, gentle kiss. His heart started to race and once again he was filled with a stunning, comforting warmth as she snuggled into him, showing her trust and love.

They continued exchanging kisses as they lay down on the blanket next to the lake. The world around them seemed to be miles suddenly. Danny knew that back home in the city, this wouldn't have been possible like that. Montana was different and he was slowly understanding why Lindsay loved the country so much. It was easier to push the all day stress aside and focus on what really mattered. In their case, it was each other and this relationship which had just started, was so fresh and new and so exciting.

"I hope your Dad won't change his opinion about me now," he said after a while. They were lying on their sides now, facing each other. Lazily, he was running his hand up and down her spine, occasionally running a hand through her curly hair. His eyes were locked with hers and he couldn't get enough of staring into those beautiful brown eyes that said more than she would ever be able to express with words.

If he looked very closely, he could see the old pain, the panic and fear which would return, even if those panic attacks and nightmares would get less and less with the time. But currently, those negative feelings had been pushed aside. There was so much warmth, so much love in her eyes. He could see her trust in him and her gratitude for their closeness and his support.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Why should he change his opinion about you?" she wanted to know.

Danny couldn't help but blush as Lindsay watched him curiously. "Well, if he finds out I'm together with his daughter now... I'm sure he likes me so far because he knows I'm supporting you, but if he finds out I'm actually together with you now, he might change his mind."

Lindsay laughed at his answer and Danny smiled lightly at the sound which he loved and had wanted to hear so much during the last couple of weeks. "He won't change his mind," she answered. "He might pretend to be the big, bad Daddy who doesn't want a man to touch his daughter and he might give you the talk and tell you to treat me nicely, but believe me, he's just faking that. I know my father. He loves you already. My parents always wanted me to have a boyfriend who cares for me, and you do much more than just that. I know you might disagree, but what you did for me in the last few weeks isn't what normal people would have done. They're grateful that I have a person like you in New York and if they find out you're my boyfriend, they'll love that as well. They just want me to be together with someone nice, and both of them agree that you are great."

"Did they say that or something?" Danny wanted to know, still not fully convinced.

Lindsay smiled. "My Mom said it, yes. She really likes you a lot and she's happy you agreed to come to Montana with me. My Dad didn't say it, but he doesn't have to. One look at him when he's around you and I know what he's thinking. If he didn't like you, he wouldn't talk to you at all. He'd just ignore you and pretend you're not there, or he'd start random arguments with you. The truth is that my parents like most people. People have to be really rude and selfish to make my parents dislike them. Believe me, they like you a lot. I rather fear that they might like you too much. They can be very affectionate. You might want to hurry back to New York if they show you how much they actually like you."

Danny chuckled. "Honestly? I don't mind. My Ma isn't any different. You'll see that when you'll meet her. If she loves someone, she won't give you a single private minute unless you manage to convince her that you're well and happy."

Lindsay laughed again. "Now I'm really looking forward to meeting her." Gently, she ran a hand through his short hair, making him shiver lightly at the soft gesture. "Thank you. I know I keep on saying that over and over again, but it feels good to have someone who's there for you all the time. Usually it's my family who I'd turn to, but they are miles away from New York." She paused. "There was a time when I really needed support and it was them who were there for me. No one else. Now I'm experiencing such a situation again and it's new to me that someone outside of my family shows so much love and support."

Danny hadn't missed how her expression had changed within a second. He could see the pain returning as her memories pushed their way into her mind. Instinctively, he pulled her a bit closer, as if to offer protection. "I already had the suspicion that something happened in your past. I didn't want to ask yet because I think there's enough you have to deal with at the moment. Whenever you feel like talking about it though, I'll listen. No matter what it is. I guess by now I proved that I'm a good listener."

Lindsay smiled softly. She shook her head lightly as if to push those thoughts that were bothering her aside again. "You did, yes. I'll tell you about it. Soon. But not now, okay?"

"Of course." He kissed her softly. He felt himself getting affected by her sudden mood change again, but he tried to ignore it. During the last few weeks, he had learnt when to dig deeper and when to change the topic. "What do you think? Would a kiss bring that beautiful smile back again?"

She chuckled lightly. "Who knows? Maybe you could try it."

"Would you like me to try it?" he teasted softly.

"Definitely," she answered.

And with that, Danny kissed Lindsay again.. He knew listening to her story wouldn't easy but by now he was used to listening to her and to offering comfort. He could feel how she relaxed as she embraced him as well. They were together now and this closeness would be very helpful.

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It was getting late afternoon as the couple returned home. Lindsay already loved the closeness between her and Danny which they had shared all the time, especially during the last couple of weeks.

Now things between them felt so new. They were together; finally they had admitted their feelings to each other. It hadn't been easy for either of them. There were advantages and disadvantages when it came to friendships turning into more. The advantage was that there was a connection which was the basis of closeness and trust. The disadvantage was that those feelings, if they were one sided, could ruin a friendship.

But in their case, making this big step had been a good decision. They shared those feelings and finally there wasn't this pressure of hiding them anymore. They would be together and she knew that the support she would receive through this would help her even more.

Lindsay wasn't surprised that Danny knew she had been hiding something in front of him. Before already but especially during the last couple of weeks, he had learnt how to read her. He hadn't missed that something else was bothering her. Something that was finding its way a back into her mind even more than usually after what she had to go through thanks to a crazy colleague who had tried to bring across his point in such a brutal way.

He knew there was a secret hidden regarding her past and Lindsay knew she would have to tell Danny about it sooner or later. He didn't expect it from her, but keeping it from him while he was so caring felt wrong to her. It would be a long and hard conversation, but after all she knew he would listen and offer comfort. If she could trust in someone, it was him. And maybe it would even be helpful for her to share this story of her past with him; he would understand when cases affected her too much and she wouldn't have to find excuses to explain her behaviour. One glance, one word and he would know what to do.

Only when they arrived at the front door of the farm house, Lindsay realised that she and Danny were holding hands ever since they had left their car. Her cheeks turned red immediately.

"I feel like a teenager, having her first boyfriend," she admitted.

He gave her a surprised look before he laughed. "You're just too cute." He bent down and kissed her gently. "Why don't you go in already? From what I hear, your Dad is at the barn. I'd like to talk to him. I want him to hear it from me. You know, that we're together now."

"And you say I'm cute?" Lindsay smirked as he cringed at her choice of words. "What? It's true. You're such a sweet man. And don't worry. If he gets all protective Daddy on you; he's just faking it."

"Good to know." Danny kissed her again. "Alright, I'll see you later."

Amused, Lindsay watched how Danny made his way over to the barn. Then she entered the house. Immediately, a light smile lit her face. It was still amazing her how this house and the fact that she could hear her mother in the kitchen made her feel cosy and happy.

"Mom, we're back," she announced as she entered the kitchen as well. Her smile widened as she saw that her mother had already set the table. "How did you know we'd come home already? We could've stayed out longer."

"I just know it." Hannah winked at her. "And I hope you have a huge appetite." For a moment, Hannah studied her daughter before a bright smile lit her face. But instead of saying anything, she turned her attention back to the food on the stove.

"Mom?" Lindsay raised her eyebrows in confusion. "What was that look about?"

"Oh, I was just wondering where your boyfriend is," Hannah answered, winking again.

Lindsay felt how her face turned bright red again. She really felt like a teenager. "My what?"

Hannah chuckled. "Don't try that on me. I know what's going on here. I was already wondering why you weren't together yet when you arrived here. It's so obvious! I'm glad you finally made the step and admitted what everyone of us knows anyway."

"But...how do you know?" Lindsay stared at her mother in disbelief. "Did you watch us?"

Hannah laughed even more. "No, I didn't. But I don't have to stalk you to know what you're doing. I can see it in your eyes, my dear. They're sparkling. It's wonderful to see you so happy."

Lindsay was still blushing, but at her mother's words, another smile lit her face. "I didn't feel like that for quite a while."

"Just make sure he knows that he's welcome here and loved by us," Hannah answered with a soft smile of herself. "Because someone who's taking care of you so much and makes you happy like that is always welcome to be part of our family."

"He'll be happy to know that," Lindsay replied. She felt relieved, although she hadn't expected any other reaction. "He's just talking to Dad. I hope Dad won't tease him too much."

"I'm sure your Dad will behave. He knows he would regret it otherwise," Hanna answered. She hesitated for a moment. "Does he know by the way? About your past?"

"He knows there is something, but I didn't tell him yet," Lindsay said. "I told him that I'll let him know soon. But...see, I'm so happy right now. I didn't feel like that for weeks. I didn't want to ruin it. I want us to enjoy that we're together now."

Hannah nodded. "I fully agree, believe me. Take your time. He's patient, he won't have a problem with waiting. Tell him when you're ready. I know he'll listen to you."

Lindsay nodded as well. She knew Danny would listen to her, and she knew he was patient. She would talk to him soon. She knew that agreeing to their trip to Montana and to admitting their feelings had been the best decisions for them.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks so much again for the lovely reviews! Your support means a lot to me! Special thanks to webdlfan, afrozenheart412, Dine89 and rapidtetv!**

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**He was hesitant and careful as he made his way over to the barn. Of course Danny knew he and Lindsay were adults and old enough to make their own decisions. He didn't have to ask her father for permission for being together with his daughter.

But yet he felt the urge to inform him. They were guests on Darren and Hannah Monroe's farm and he wanted to treat them with respect. His mother had taught him manners, and even if some of those seemed to be old and overdone, he believed that respect in every situation was important.

As quietly as possible, Danny entered the barn. He quickly spotted Darren who had joined his horse in one of the stalls, brushing it. Danny threw a short, suspicious look at the animals before he continued his way. In safe distance to Darren's horse, he stopped in front of the wooden gate of the stall.

"Hey Danny," Darren greeted him, glancing up briefly, offering a smile.

He gulped. The man really seemed to like him and he treated him nicely. Like Lindsay had told him, her parents appreciated how he took care of their daughter, how he supported her and how he had been there for her during the last few weeks. Would he still feel the same way if he admitted that they were together now.

"Hey," he greeted back, glancing up at the horse that had stepped closer instantly in curiosity.

Darren chuckled. "Don't worry, son, she's fine. She won't bite you. I know, they're impressive animals, but she's sweet. Give her one of the carrots over there and you're her best friend."

Danny did like he was told, watching how the horse took the carrot and started to munch on it. Knowing it was busy now, he turned his attention back to Darren.

"I'd like to talk to you about something," he started.

Darren raised his eyebrows. "That sounds serious. Did something happen?"

Danny felt his nervousness increasing rapidly. His heart was racing, his hands were shaking lightly. He realised that it was the first time that he was actually meeting the parents of a girlfriend, and for the first time it was him who was admitting the relationship as well. Things were a lot more complicated than he had expected and even though he knew he was overreacting, he was scared of what the other man would do.

"Yeah, in fact something happened indeed." He took a deep breath before he added, "Lindsay and I are together now."

It was out and he felt the strong urge to run away like a boy. Anyway, Danny stayed where he was and watched Darren closely. A surprised look appeared in his eyes before he turned serious again.

"I...thought maybe you...wanted to talk to me about that?" Danny continued carefully. Suddenly, he didn't know if it was a good idea to come and talk to Darren all by his own. He knew Lindsay had three older brother and he assumed all men in her family were protective of her. Fortunately only one of them he had to face, but he feared her father would be the worst.

"I'm almost done here," Darren said then. "Why don't you sit down over there at the bench? I'll be right there as well."

"Sure." Still with his heart hammering in his chest, he made his way over to said bench, his legs shaking lightly. As if he was a child supposed to meet the principal, he sat there, staring down at the dusty floor in front of him, hands clenched together in his lap. He hadn't been able to interpret Darren's reaction. Did he have a problem with him now?

Hours seemed to have passed when the older man finally left the stall and made his way over to the bench as well. Danny had to admit that Darren was scaring him a bit; he knew he was a farmer, he knew he was used to hard work. He had to be strong. And no matter how much he himself worked out, he wouldn't reach this physical strength.

With a sigh, Darren sat down next to Danny. He reached for the bottle of water that was resting on the floor next to it, along with a box which contained some sandwiches. He drank in silence before he turned to Danny.

"You'd like some water as well?" he asked. "You seem to feel a bit uncomfortable."

"Not because of the water, Sir," Danny answered.

Once again, Darren raised his eyebrows. "Sir? I thought we agreed that you call me Darren."

"Yeah, sure, Sir. I mean...sorry." Danny cursed himself for his own insecurity. He hadn't done anything wrong, yet he felt like a criminal. He wasn't used to such situations at all. So far, he had simply dated women, not caring for the opinion of their parents. He had avoided meeting them anyway. Now things were completely different. He really loved Lindsay and he wanted her parents to accept him. Suddenly, he wished he had tried to meet the parents of former girlfriends before; as training for this moment. He had no idea what to do or what to say.

Darren studied him closely for a couple of moment and Danny felt the strong urge to apologize. But to his surprise, the man broke out into laughter.

"Sorry, son, I know it's rude to laugh," Darren managed to say, shaking his head in amusement. "Lindsay said you always try to come across as the tough guy from New York but that in fact you have a good heart. And that you're adorable. I have to say it's indeed adorable that you are so nervous that I fear you'll wet your pants every moment."

Danny cringed at Darren's words. He wasn't sure what he disliked more; a grown up man calling him adorable or the fact that he was indeed so scared that he could barely handle sitting next to Lindsay's father.

"What do you think I'll do with you now?" Darren wanted to know.

Danny shrugged. "No idea. I...never met the parents of a girlfriend before. I don't know what to do or to say. Or what you'll do. I just...assume you and your sons are protective of your daughter and I know...fathers often don't like to see a man around them."

Darren grinned. "So in fact you assume I'll grab my gun now and chase you into the woods for daring to have a relationship with my daughter, right?"

Danny shrugged again. "Something like that."

Darren's laughter echoed through the barn. "Oh, you're just fantastic. Son, you're a cop from New York! You have to handle the really bad guys every day, you have to chase them, kick their ass and then get a statement from them. You handle that without a problem, but the father of your girlfriend scares the shit out of you? Come on, am I that scary?"

"Well, I guess if some random guy dated my daughter, I'd not love that either," Danny replied. For a second, a smile lit his face as he imagined himself and Lindsay with a daughter.

"Yeah, random guys. I can be really lucky that my daughter never dated many guys," Darren answered. "I guess I have to agree with you here. I'd not like the random guys either. But I don't count you to them."

"No?" Danny asked surprised.

Darren chuckled. "You didn't expect that, huh? No, I don't. You don't really have an objective view at yourself anymore. Do you even know what you did for my daughter during the last couple of weeks? You not only got her out of that warehouse, you were there for her all the time. You were there at the hospital, trying to get through to her. Believe me, I know how hard it is to get through to her after a traumatic experience. I've been in that situation before. Yet you didn't give you. Obviously she has to trust in you a lot if she wanted you to be around all the time. And then what did you do? You realised how much she needs you. You let her move in with you. You helped her to adjust to doing all those little things like showering again. You let her sleep in your bed without making a move on her. You were there for her when she was kept awake by nightmares. You did so much for her and still do. You're here with her now because you know she needs the distance. And I'm not blind; I'm seeing how protective you are of her. How am I supposed to see you as just a random guy?"

Danny stared at Darren in surprise and disbelief. He had expected a lot, but not such a friendly speech, full of appreciation.

"You really don't have a reason to be nervous," Darren continued when Danny didn't reply. "I know there is the common opinion that fathers and brothers don't accept boyfriends. I have to admit I'm indeed very protective of my daughter and so are my sons. That's possibly an instinct, but it's also because of what she had to go through when she was younger. You automatically want to make sure she gets the best. If you were just some guy who has no real connection to her, I'd be a bit more careful around you. But with you...I doubt a man could be more perfect for her than you. You proved that before you even got together with her. Just make sure to stay the way you're now and don't hurt her."

He paused and Danny could see how the older man was struggling with his emotions. "See...I wasn't too pleased when she moved to New York but I knew how much it meant to her to start fresh in the city of her dreams. I was hoping things would be better there for her. And now this. Why did this cop have to do that? Why did he have to kidnap her? She had to go through so much in the past, why did this have to happen? I know this might sound selfish, but...I don't get it."

Danny's former nervousness seemed to have disappeared the moment he had realised that instead of disliking him, Darren was appreciating him so much. He didn't know what had happened in the past and he believed a lot of people had had conversations about it with Darren, but still he felt the wish to say something.

"I don't understand it either," he said. "But I can tell you that she's incredibly strong. She has all those nightmares, the panic attacks and everything, but she never complains. She never whines. She handles it. Luckily I managed to convince her that it's fine to ask for help and comfort. She lets me support her, but she's also really strong. She's facing it. She doesn't just hide. It was so difficult for her to come to Montana because she didn't even dare to leave my apartment. Yet she did it anyway. She's facing her problems and I find that stunning. Especially when I think of the fact that she had to go through such a nightmare before. I don't know anyone who'd still be so strong. Did you see that she even laughed a few times since we arrived here? I was so hoping to see that and it stuns me even more. It's hard and I doubt I could have her strength. It's simply amazing me."

A smile lit Darren's face at Danny's words. "You're really a good man, you know that?" he asked. "I mean it. You know her so well and you understand her so well. She's a very strong woman. But the fact that she trusts in you enough to let you be part of this and to let you comfort her is due to who you are. You earned this trust somehow. I'm glad she has you over there." Darren's smile widened a bit. "See, all your nervousness was unnecessary. I just want my daughter to have a boyfriend who really loves her, who accepts her the way she is."

"She's perfect the way she is," Danny said with a smile.

Darren nodded. "That she is." He looked up towards the gate of the barn and his smile widened. Danny followed his glance to see what he was looking at. He spotted Lindsay who was leaning against the wooden gate, watching them with an amused smile.

"I hope you didn't eavesdrop on us, young lady," Darren said. "You know that's rude, right?"

Lindsay chuckled, entering the barn as well. "No worries, I just arrived. Your secrets are safe." She turned to Danny. "I hope my father didn't torture you too much."

"He didn't," Danny answered, currently not able to say more. He was still affected by the previous conversation.

Darren laughed. "Hey, don't make me look like the bad guy. I guess your boy here is more scared of our horses than of me now."

Lindsay raised her eyebrows playfully. "You're scared of the horses? We have to change that, you know? You'll have to ride one of them, that will cure you."

Although he didn't even want to think of getting too close to one of the tall animals, Danny couldn't help but smile. He didn't know what exactly it was, but something had changed. The day before when they had headed to Montana, Lindsay hadn't even wanted to make a step out of his apartment. Now she was walking around on the farm, had even shown him her favourite place. And she was smiling.

He thought back to the conversation they had had at the lake. She had told him he was making her happy, that she was feeling a joy which she hadn't felt for weeks. Things were getting better and he knew he could do a lot to help her with that. He remembered his insecurity back then at the hospital when he had feared to make a mistake. Don had told him to simply follow his instinct. He had done that and obviously he had made the right decisions so far.

"Mom said you should come over now. Dinner is ready," she said then.

"Oh, finally." Darren got up with a groan. "I hope she made a lot, because I guess I'm able to eat a whole pig by myself."

Lindsay chuckled, shaking her head at her father. Then she turned her attention back to Danny. As they headed back to the farm house, she linked her arm with his and snuggled into his side. Once again, her gestures were saying more than words. She wanted something.

"Can we maybe talk later?" she asked then. "There are a few things I'd like to tell you about. I don't really want to keep on pushing it aside because I doubt it'll make it easier."

"Of course. Just tell me when you want to talk about it," he answered, knowing exactly what she was referring to.

Lindsay smiled at Danny, nodding. He knew Darren was right with everything he had said. He was doing a lot for her, just like she had offered so much support to him as well already. They had a special connection. Getting together had been the next logical step, and he was happy to know that her family fully accepted him.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who is still reading and reviewing this fic! It's longer than I planned, but that can also be a good thing! Special thanks to Dine89 and afrozenheart412!**

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**It was late as Lindsay stepped out onto the forecourt. The soft breeze from earlier had increased and instinctively, she wrapped her cardigan tighter around herself. She glanced up towards the sky, smiling at all the stars she could see above. This was something New York couldn't offer. The city lights were swallowing the light of most of the stars. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath of the fresh air, enjoying the smell of the near forest, of hay and animals.

With a light smile on her face, she walked over to the bench under the large maple tree that was towering in the middle of the large forecourt. It was one of her favourites places. So many times, she had already been sitting on this bench, enjoying the view of the farm, surrounded by fields.

She was planning to talk to Danny soon. So far, she had avoided telling him about her past. Their friendship had always been close, but back then, she had tried her best to keep all memories that had bothered her so much in Montana out of her mind. Then she had another traumatic experience and with the time, all those old memories found their way back into her mind as well.

Now that she was back in Montana, those memories couldn't be ignored anymore. Lindsay didn't want to have secrets in front of Danny, especially now that they were together. But this strong connection that was uniting them, didn't make the following conversation easier. She had always had a hard time with talking about it, even around her family members. No matter how many years had passed since that night at the diner, thinking of it pained as if it had happened the day before.

But she knew talking to him would be the right decision. He listened to her and he seemed to know how to react to her, how to make her feel better. Once again, a light smile lit her face. Danny made her happy. Lindsay didn't know what exactly he was doing. She felt comfortable around him, he knew when to be serious and when to distract her with some jokes, no matter how silly those were sometimes. Things were getting easier but from former experiences, she knew that it would take some time until the nightmares would stop, until she wouldn't have a problem with leaving the apartment and go back to work, until she wouldn't feel nervous every morning when she arrived at the Crime Lab. And even then, thinking about what had happened would cause pain.

Her heart started to beat faster as she saw how the front door of the main house was opened and Danny stepped onto the forecourt as well. A smile lit his face as he spotted Lindsay.

"Hey," he greeted her softly as he joined her on the bench. With a sigh, he leaned back, resting an arm around her shoulders. "Your Mom told me you'd be out here. Nice place."

Lindsay nodded. "Yep. You can sit here for hours and just relax. I love sitting here."

Danny smiled at her. "I can understand. In fact I can even understand why you enjoy being here so much. I just hope you won't change your mind about New York."

Lindsay raised an eyebrow at him. "I love New York. It's my new home."

"That's good to hear." He pulled her closer gently and she allowed herself to rest her head against his shoulder. Her heart was still racing; she knew the conversation was close and she was frightened of getting it started. The tension inside her was increasing with every passing moment and she believed if she didn't talk to him soon, she wouldn't have the courage for it anymore.

"You know, you don't have talk to me about it now if you're not ready yet," Danny said as if reading her mind. He placed a soft kiss onto the top of her head. "I don't want you to talk to me about your past because you think I'm expecting that. I want to listen to you if you feel like sharing it with me, but I'm really not expecting that from you. It is up to you if and when you tell me about it. If now is not the right moment, do it another time."

"I know you don't expect it from me," Lindsay answered. "But...I don't want to hide this in front of you anymore. It doesn't matter when I'll tell you about it. There won't ever be the right moment for something like that."

He nodded in understanding. "Okay, fine. Then if you want to tell me now, go ahead. I'll listen."

She felt how his grip around her tightened a bit and she snuggled further into him. The closeness between them didn't make it easier for her to start, but it encouraged her to not wait any longer.

"It happened almost ten years ago," she started, feeling how a lump in her throat started to build immediately. It seemed as if with those few words, she had opened a door and all those old memories returned forcefully.

"Back then, I had three close friends," she continued. "I guess I know them since I was a baby. We've been like sisters. We did everything together. I could go and talk to them about everything. I knew they'd be there, they'd share everything with me. We laughed together, we did silly things, we could talk about our parents, our siblings and boys. We spent every day together. Nothing could get between us."

Lindsay felt that she was shivering lightly. She knew Danny hadn't missed that. Both arms wrapped around her now as he pulled her against his chest. He had no idea what had happened ten years ago, but her physical reaction to it was enough for him to know that she was approaching the painful parts.

"There was a diner in Bozeman. It was our favourite place. When we didn't stay at the farm or the houses of my friends, we were at the diner. That's what we did ten years ago. It was such a great evening. We chatted all the time, we laughed and teased each other. I bet we annoyed all the other guests." Lindsay chuckled lightly as she remembered how their laughter had echoed through the diner as the four friends had talked about anything and everything that had come to their mind. Automatically, her thoughts traveled further down the timeline and the sickening pain rushed back like an ice cold wave. She wrapped her arms around Danny's waist, trying to get even closer to him in search for comfort.

"We had so much fun," she continued. "I don't know why, but somewhere along the line I went into the bathroom to wash my hands. I could still hear them in there, how they kept on laughing. I didn't think anything bad when I heard the sound of the doorbell. I...couldn't expect what happened then."

Once again, Lindsay had to stop. She was shivering even more now and she felt as if the temperature had dropped several degrees. The wind that was rushing in the large maple tree was no longer nice and romantic. Instead it made her freeze. Somewhere deep inside her, she could feel the old panic, the fear she had felt because of what had happened in the diner all those years ago. It seemed like it had just happened hours ago. She squeezed her eyes shut as the first tears started to fog her view, but immediately she opened them again as all the horrible pictures seemed to become even more real.

"What happened?" Danny asked softly. His voice revealed his fear of what she would say next.

"I heard shots," she answered, her voice not more than a tearful whispering. "I heard shots. Four shots. I heard my friends screaming. They were so scared. I...I covered my ears and tried to hide in the bathroom. I was so sure he would come into the bathroom as well, especially because I...forgot to turn the water off again." A sob escaped her as she relived those horrible moments which she would never be able to forget. "My friends were so scared, but after the forth shot, everything was quiet. I...I don't know why, but...I crawled over to the door and opened it a bit. I saw him. I saw him standing there, covered in their blood, with a gun."

Shaking her head, she buried her face in his shirt, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I still remember him. I could give you a detailed description of how he looked like. I stayed in the bathroom until I could hear the doorbell again. Then I came out and...and I...I..."

Her voice trailed off and was replaced by desperate, painful sobbing. She had expected that talking about this horrible experience would be difficult, but describing in details what had happened almost a decade ago seemed to push her right back into the diner. It seemed as if she was ten years younger again, leaving the bathroom, frightened and shocked. And there they were, lying in front of her; her best friends, covered in their own blood.

"We can stop if you want," Danny whispered, gently running his hands up and down her back as he pressed her against his chest as tightly as possible. His voice was shaking lightly; he was struggling with controlling his own emotions as he tried to be the rock she needed now.

But Lindsay shook her head. "No. I...started it now and I don't want to stop."

It took her another couple of minutes until her hectic breathing had slowed down enough and she didn't feel like she couldn't catch enough oxygen anymore. Still sobbing, she forced herself to continue. "I found my friends and the waitress. He...had shot them all. They were lying on the floor. There was blood everywhere; on my friends, on the floor...it seemed like everything was covered in blood. I remember that I called the ambulance, but I don't know for sure what happened after that."

Once again, Lindsay's feelings overwhelmed her. The mental images were so clear; she could see everything in front of her. She could feel the old fear making it almost impossible for her to breath, and the aching pain in her chest as she remembered how she had found her friends; those friends who had always been there since she had been a baby, who had known her as good as her family members. Those friends who she had loved so deeply and who still had a special place in her heart.

It felt as if she was crying for hours. Danny didn't interrupt her, didn't ask questions. Instead he held her in his arms, rubbing her back while he whispered soft words of comfort. There had been a time when Lindsay wouldn't have allowed him to see her like that. She didn't want to feel weak around him. Over the last couple of weeks, he had seen her breaking down more than once. He had successfully managed to convince her that there was nothing to hide; he loved her the way she was, no matter if she was smiling and laughing or crying while sharing her deepest and darkest secret with him.

He allowed her to calm down until only occasional sobs escaped her. She was still shivering lightly when he helped her to sit up straight again. Gently lifting her chin, he searched for eye contact. As her eyes met his, she shuddered at the mix of emotions she could see in them. There was pain because of what she had to go through while being still so young. And there was an endless support and comfort which she needed so much.

"I know this question might sound stupid to you," Danny said, still with a soft, low voice. "But are you okay? Do you need anything? Would you like me to get your parents or something?"

Lindsay shook her head. With a shaking hand, she tried to wipe her tears away. He helped her with a tissue which he was suddenly holding, gently running it over her wet cheeks while one arm stayed wrapped around her, keeping her close.

"I'm fine," she managed to answer. "It's just...hard, you know? I got so much help when I was younger. I had my parents, I saw a therapist. Of course things changed since then, but some thing will always stay the same. I won't ever forget what happened in this diner. Every second is burnt into my mind. I still know how I felt back then. Talking about it just...made it so real again, you know?"

"I'm sorry talking about it brought it all back," he replied, but again she shook her head.

"No, I'm glad I told you," she said. "I'm glad you know about it."

Danny nodded. "Alright." He hesitated. "Did they ever...I mean, was he ever arrested?"

"No," Lindsay answered. "No, he managed to escape. He's somewhere out there, hiding like a coward. He got away with it."

"I wouldn't say that," he replied softly. "I know it seems like that after so many years, but you know how many times cold cases are solved. Even after many more years. One day he'll be caught and then he'll get what he deserved. He won't get away with that." He paused again. "I wish I could do anything to help and catch him. To make him pay for what he did to you. And to your friends. And to everyone else."

Despite her overwhelming emotions, Lindsay managed to offer a tiny smile. "You're already doing enough for me with being here and listening to me. You're doing that for weeks already." Once again she felt the guilt which he had tried to talk her out of so many times before. "You're doing so much for me."

"Don't start that again," he interrupted her gently. "I know what you want to say next. That I'm doing too much for you, that you're unloading on me and that you want to do something in response. Listen, I don't want you to think like that, okay? When Louie was beaten into coma, you were there for me all the time. You listened to me day in and day out. You visited him at the hospital with me and stayed there for hours. You let me call you whenever I needed to talk. Was that a burden for you?"

When she shook her head, he continued, "See? We had this conversation before. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you trust in me so much and shared all that with me. I'm here for you whenever you need me, and I know I can always come to you as well." She noticed tears glistering in his eyes as well. "I think you have no idea how much you mean to me. I'd do everything to help you. You had to face those two horrible experiences, yet you're so strong. You said you were happier earlier. Do you know how wonderful it was to see you smile and to hear you laugh? If listening to you and being there for you helps you in any way, I'm more than willing to do it, no matter how often or for how long."

The warmth of his words were amazing her. Many times, Lindsay and Danny had had this conversation, many times he had tried to convince her from the fact that he loved to be there to support her. After all she knew the feeling; he could have done nothing to push her away back then when he had needed support himself.

"Thank you," she replied.

Danny kissed her gently. "Just keep it in mind, okay?" He kissed her again. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Lindsay answered, instinctively replying to his confession without a second of hesitation. A happy smile lit his face at her response and she couldn't help but smile herself.

There were still tears in their eyes, but despite the painful memories which were still bothering her, the lump and uncomfortable tension had disappeared.

"I think I'd like to go back inside," she said then.

He nodded. "Yeah, it's late and I guess if you want me to teach horseback riding, we should get some sleep."

Lindsay looked at him in surprise. "You want to ride one of the horses?"

"Only if you promise to be a good teacher," Danny answered.

She chuckled lightly. "Okay, I'll be a good teacher. And my Dad will pick the friendliest horse."

"I guess then I might actually like it," he answered with a wink.

Lindsay smiled back at Danny, once again allowing him to embrace her. Her story had been long and painful, like she had expected. But, also like she had expected, he had offered support and made her feel better again.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Oops, I think it took me a bit to update this! But here is a new chapter finally! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Special thanks to afrozenheart412, rapidtetv and Dine89!**

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**It was the middle of the night, only a soft breeze was rustling in the tree outside the house when Danny woke up. Carefully and quietly, he glanced at Lindsay. She was still sleeping and he wanted to make sure to not wake her up.

Although he had been tired, it had been difficult for him to fall asleep. Danny had felt Lindsay was hiding something in front of him. After arriving in Montana, he had found out that something had happened in her past; another traumatic experience.

Of course he had offered to listen to her. He wanted to be there, wanted to offer help and support. Danny knew Lindsay trusted in him. She would open up to him and let him in. But he hadn't had an idea of what she would tell him.

And how this would affect him. He had tried his best to control his emotions. He wanted to be strong and comfort her. Sharing her story with him had brought back all the old, painful memories. She had been clinging to him, crying and seeking for comfort as she had struggled with those overwhelming emotions.

He had wanted to be there for her, but as he was holding her, trying to calm her down, he couldn't do anything against the aching pain in his chest and the lump in his throat. He could understand Darren's earlier question. Why did she have to make such experiences?

Fortunately, they had agreed to go to bed after this long and painful conversation. But while Lindsay had been so exhausted that she had soon fallen asleep, Danny had needed a lot longer. Even though he hadn't been there, he had a lot of images in mind. He knew how she had felt during the last couple of weeks, he had seen what she had to go through and how it had made him feel as well. He didn't dare to imagine what she and her family had to go through back then, so many years ago. It only amazed him even more to see how Lindsay was handling those situations. It made him even more proud of her.

Glancing down at her, Danny gently ran a hand through her curly hair. Lindsay tensed at the loving touch, blinking a few times. He sighed lightly; it hadn't been his intention to wake her up. Sleepily, she gazed up at him and a tiny smile lit her face.

"Hey," she said quietly, yawning.

"Hey," he greeted back. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. You need to sleep and I should've been more careful."

Her smile widened a bit. "Don't apologize. I guess I'd have woken up anyway." She yawned again before she focused her full attention back on him. She raised her eyebrows lightly as she studied him. "Are you okay?"

"Of course," Danny answered, but he knew the tone in his voice was giving him away. He couldn't deny he was still affected by the mental images he had and he knew it was unnecessary to hide that in front of her.

"What's bothering you?" Lindsay asked like expected.

"Isn't it me who's supposed to ask you how you are?" he asked back.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Let's not start a discussion about who's supposed to ask or feel what, okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," he answered. A sigh escaped him. "Okay, fine. Nothing's wrong, but I can't stop thinking about what you told me earlier."

Danny cursed himself as he saw the guilt that immediately appeared in Lindsay's eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't want you to feel bad because of it," she told him quietly. "It's just...because you offered..."

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that," he interrupted her softly. "I meant what I said. I'm always here to listen. But when you tell me something like that, you can't expect that it's not affecting me. I love you, you mean so much to me. Hearing what happened back then...that was hard of course. And the time after that surely was rough as well. I see what you're going through at the moment."

"Still I didn't want you to feel bad," she answered. "And I don't want you to feel sorry for me either."

"I'm not pitying you if that's what you mean," Danny explained. "And I don't feel bad. It's just that it pains me to know this happened. It hurts me to see the pain in your eyes, to see you cry. I want you to be happy. I want to protect you. I can imagine how hard this must have been for your parents. And now this." He paused. "See, we're not feeling sorry or anything like that. But we love you and care for you. Of course it's affecting us. That's not your fault. Not at all."

Lindsay nodded. He felt how she snuggled further into him and instinctively, he tightened his arms around her. She sighed softly.

"Are you feeling better now that you told me about it?" he wanted to know.

She nodded. "A lot better actually. Sharing it with you was the hard part, but I'm glad there's no secret anymore." She hesitated. "See, this is a big part of me. It affected me a lot and it still does. Even in New York, or at work."

"Of course. You can't just act as if it never happened," Danny answered in understanding.

"Exactly," Lindsay said. "It feels so good to know that you know about it now. That when I get into a difficult situation, I don't have to make up excuses because you already know what's going on." He noticed how her face reddened. "Thank you. Really. It feels so good to know I can always come to you and that I don't have to be shy or afraid that you'd get offended or annoyed by me. I never thought I could trust so much in someone else but my family members." Once again, she smiled softly. "Then again you're my boyfriend now."

He smirked back at her. "Yeah, I am." Gently, he took one of her delicate hands into his. Instinctively, his eyes found the bruise that still covered her wrist like a thin, colourful ring. He brushed his thumb along the line, making eye contact with her again. Like always when he looked at her, he spotted the bruises that were slowly healing. He tried to ignore them most of the time, but sometimes that was impossible. "Does it still hurt?"

She shook her head. "No, it doesn't hurt anymore. Just doesn't look too pretty." She offered a shy smile.

"You're the most beautiful woman ever," Danny answered, kissing her softly.

Lindsay chuckled lightly. "You're sweet. And you're looking quite good yourself."

With his smirk widening, he kissed her again. He gazed back at her for a moment, running his hand through her curly, silky hair. There was so much warmth and trust in her eyes. It warmed his heart and once again, he found himself grateful for having believed in himself and his instinct when she had needed him the most. It took him a moment before he asked what else he had in mind.

"You're feeling better since we're here, right?" he wanted to know.

"Yes, I do," she replied. "The memories are still coming back though. But yes, it's easier here. Maybe it'll be helpful to get prepared for being back in the city." Once again, her cheeks reddened. "I hate to feel like that, you know? I know it'll get worse again. I'll have my moments in which I get scared by what seems to be nothing. The nightmares will return. I hate knowing that already. I don't want being happy just to be a phase."

"I can imagine," he said. "But see it from another point of view. You also know that sooner or later, it'll really get better, and then you're not just temporarily happy. Even if the memories won't just disappear, it will get easier. And then it won't bother you as much as it's bothering you now. It's a hard and rocky path, but sooner or later, things will get better. Not sure if that's actually helpful." It was his turn to blush lightly.

She chuckled again. "It is. You're cute." She kissed him onto the lips briefly. "I know it'll get better. But it's so long and tiring." Her arms tightened around him. "I'm glad I have someone who tries to cheer me up. Or who just comforts me."

Danny placed a kiss into her hair, nodding. He could feel that Lindsay didn't want to talk about this topic anymore. He knew she was right; the healing process was long and tiring. Things seemed to be better now, she could even laugh and smile. But he knew that sooner or later, for whatever reason, the nightmares and panic attacks could return. It would take her a while until things would slowly get better. But he knew he would support her with that and he was glad she was allowing him to do so.

"I know it's still the middle of the night, but do we have any plans for tomorrow?" he asked, trying to change the topic. She gave him a grateful look.

"Well, you said you want to learn horseback riding," she answered with a wink.

He groaned. "Oh, can't we do anything else? I'll look so stupid. I'm no kid."

"You'll love it, don't worry," Lindsay replied amused. "It'd be so great if you could give it a try. Maybe you'll even like it."

Danny couldn't help but smile at her reply. "That's mean, you know? You know exactly I can't say 'no' when you're looking at me like that."

"Does that mean you'll give it a try?" she asked excitedly.

He chuckled. "Yeah, maybe. But not tomorrow. First I want to get to know your family a bit better, and the surrounding area."

She nodded. "Okay, that's a good compromise." Once again, she cuddled into him. "Now let's try and get some more sleep."

"Sounds like a great plan," he answered, kissing her again.

Danny had hoped that a trip to Montana would be a good idea. He was glad to see that Lindsay enjoyed it and for him, it was a great chance to meet her family. He wanted them to have a nice time during this trip, and so far this even seemed to work.

* * *

_The room was dark, she could barely move. Somewhere she could hear the rushing of water and for some reason, it frightened her, The water wasn't supposed to be there. She had to take care of it. It would give her away and she couldn't let this happen._

_Fear filled her. Paralysing fear of something which she knew would happen but she had no idea what it was. Shivering and with her heart hammering in her chest, she sat down on the floor as good as she could in the small room. She couldn't see anything. Everything around her was black. Black and cold. She had no idea where the walls were, or the door._

_And then she heard it. Four shots. Screaming. Young girls screaming in incredible fear. She felt like screaming herself, but even if she had wanted to, no sound would have escaped her lips. She pressed her hands against her ears, sobbing as the uncontrollable fear grew and grew and grew. The screaming got louder. Her heart was racing, she believed whoever was out there had to hear it. She was freezing, shivering, she could hardly breath._

_And then everything was quiet again. Panting, with tears fogging her view and shivering violently, she uncovered her ears. But quickly, she pressed her hands against them again as she heard the sound of heavy steps._

_She gasped in fear as the door in front of her was ripped open. For a moment, she was blinded by the sunlight. A figure was blocking her view. It took her a moment until she recognized Oliver Quinn. A smirk was playing around his lips as he waved a baseball bat. He didn't say a word. He just closed the distance between them, rising the baseball bat. Her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to make herself as small as possible._

Her scream echoed through the small bedroom, jerking Danny awake. For a moment, panic rose inside him at the frightening sound. Then he felt Lindsay move next to him and in the darkness of the room, he could see how she tried to get out of her bed.

Quickly, he reached for the small lamp on the bedside table and switched it on. Blinded by the light, she screamed again, but stayed in place just long enough for him to grab her.

"No!" she screamed as loud as she could fighting against the arms that wrapped around her.

"Shh, it's just me, it's all good," he whispered in the soft, soothing voice which he had used so often during the last couple of weeks. As she kept on fighting, trying to hit him, he pressed her against his chest tightly. "It's all good, it's just me. No one's here who can hurt you, okay? Everything's fine. You're safe. It's all good."

She was sobbing uncontrollably, still trying to wind her way out of his arms for a couple of more moments before she sank against his chest finally, wrapping her arms around his waist so tightly that he gasped. She was shivering so hard that he could barely hold her. His own heart was racing as he held her close, whispering to her while she tried to speak but didn't manage to form words between sobbing.

The sound of the door being opened caught his attention then. Looking up, he found Hannah peeking through the small slit, an expression of worry and concern in her eyes. He didn't want to imagine how many situations like that the family had to experience in the past. Danny nodded silently to tell her he was in control over the situation and Hannah offered a grateful smile before she carefully closed the door again.

Lindsay hadn't heard how her mother had opened the door. She was still trapped somewhere between reality and the nightmare. She was scared, she was in panic, and there was the old, thick pain which she always felt when she remembered what a man who she didn't even know had done to her best friends. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her sobbing kept on increasing, making it almost impossible for her to breath. The lack of oxygen frightened her even more and gasping for air, she was grabbing handfuls of Danny's shirt, seeking for help.

"Shh, try to calm down, sweetie," he whispered, helping Lindsay to sit up straight. Gently, he cupped her cheeks, making her look at him. She could make out his face in front of her, recognizing the familiar features without actually seeing him. "When you keep on gasping like that, it'll only get worse." She felt how he took one of her hands into his and placed it against his chest. "Try to breath like me. In and out. Slowly."

He kept on repeating, taking deep breaths and releasing the air again. It took her a while of fearful gasping until she slowly managed to adjusting her breathing rhythm to his. Still sobs escaped her, but the fact that she got enough oxygen again relieved her for just a short moment. Then all the images rushed back and the tears increased again.

"Come here," Danny whispered softly and willingly, Lindsay let him pull her back into his arms. She didn't know how long he held her like that, running his hands up and down her back while constantly talking to her in a warm, quiet voice. Like usually, her panic attack started to fade slowly after what seemed to be eternity. Her sobbing became quieter and quieter until she just lay in his arms, still shivering, grateful for the closeness he was offering.

Danny needed a few moments to calm down again himself. He was used to Lindsay's intense reactions, but this time he hadn't been prepared. Everything seemed to have been fine since they had arrived in Montana. He had expected the nightmares and fear to return, but not that soon.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly as she sat up again. When he saw the shy look she was giving him, he added, "I know what's coming next. Don't apologize." He kissed her softly. "What was it about this time? What happened to your friends or what Quinn did?"

"Both," she answered quietly. Still shivering, she snuggled back against him. "I knew they'd come back, but I didn't expect them now. I mean, everything was so fine yesterday. I didn't feel so good in a long time. Why couldn't the nightmares stay away for a couple of more days?"

"I don't know either," he replied, kissing her gently. "I'm sorry. Do you think you need a bit longer, or do you want to try and go back to sleep again?"

Lindsay shrugged. "We can try it."

Nodding, Danny embraced her. Together, they lay down. He felt how she wrapped her arms around him tightly again and he wished he knew how to prevent those nightmares from bothering her.

"Tomorrow we'll do something really nice," he promised. "Then you'll be happy again."

"That sounds nice," she answered. She was exhausted; those nightmares but especially her reactions to them were responsible for that. "You can switch the lights out again."

But he shook his head. "Nah, I'll just dim it a bit." He dimmed the light, leaving the lamp on. "That's not too bright, don't worry." He placed a kiss into her hair. "Have sweet dreams this time."

"You, too," she replied, kissing him back.

Danny and Lindsay stayed awake for a couple of more minutes, but both had calmed down a lot again. Both knew it would take some time until things would get easier again, but handling things together already helped a lot.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews and for reading! Special thanks to rhymenocerous, Dine89, afrozenheart412, webdlfan and LoveIsInTheAir4DL!**

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**When Lindsay woke up the next morning, she felt as if she had just slept for not even an hour. She was still tired and exhausted. The conversation with Danny had been intense. But the nightmare had exhausted her even more. They always did.

She shuddered as she remembered it and quickly tried to push it out of her mind again. This fear, this panic was so familiar to her. She had been so frightened that she hadn't been able to breath properly anymore which only had caused her panic to increase.

With Danny's support, Lindsay had calmed down again. But even though she had managed to sleep after that without being woken up again, she couldn't make herself feel as happy and relaxed as she had the day before. She had expected the nightmares to return, but not that soon.

Her eyes travelled to her hands that were resting on top of her stomach. The bruises caused by the handcuffs were still visible. They were fading slowly, but still she could clearly see where the metal had dug into her sensitive skin. Even weeks after it had happened, she could still remember how she had stared down at the water that was filling the basin so fast, knowing that she wouldn't be able to free herself.

She remembered how pure panic had taken over, how she had ripped at the handcuffs to get herself free, how she had started to scream as the water had reached her. She could remember every second of it. She had been so frightened, believing she wouldn't get herself free. The water had soon arrived at her hips, her chest, her chin. She had kept on fighting, desperately realising it didn't work anyway. Until she had heard the familiar sound of a voice she knew all too well.

Shuddering, Lindsay hid her arms under the blanket and rolled over onto her side. Her eyes widened in surprise as she found Danny gazing at her with a soft smile. Immediately, her cheeks flushed. He had been watching her and she knew he had the gift to read her mind. He had watched her waking up and getting lost in her thoughts without her even noticing he was awake. Even though he had seen her in so many different ways already, it made her feel shy and insecure.

"Do you like to watch me when I'm not aware of that?" she asked, trying to smile. He knew her good enough to look behind the mask she tried to put on to hide her sudden shyness though.

"I didn't mean to analyse you or anything," he told her, gently running a hand through her curly hair. "I just didn't want to wake you up or startle you. I know how jumpy you are sometimes." He bent forward and captured her lips in a loving kiss. "Don't feel shy. I'm not trying to read your mind or anything."

This time, she offered a true little smile. "I don't know what I was thinking either. It's fine. You can watch me whenever you want."

"Good to know," Danny answered, winking at her. Then his face turned serious again. "May I ask what you were thinking about?"

Lindsay released a soft sigh. "I just remembered how I was handcuffed to the basin." She shuddered again. "I wish the memories would fade with the time, but even the shooting of my friends I remember in every detail." Once again, she felt her cheeks redden. "The bruises are still there. I hate to look into a mirror or to look at myself and see them. And I hate when you or my parents look at them."

"I'm trying to ignore them most of the time," he told her. "It's not easy, but with the time you learn not to stare at them. Soon you won't have to look at them anymore." He inched closer, wrapping his arms around her again. She rested her head on his chest, enjoying the warmth that was radiating from him immediately.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked after a while.

She had expected the question after the previous night. "Not scared anymore, but...I don't know how to explain it. I just feel like staying in bed, not talking to anyone. But I know that's not a good idea." Once again, her face reddened as she gazed at him in insecurity, unsure on what he would reply to her wish.

"Well, that's up to you," Danny answered. "Of course it's easy for us to say that hiding in bed isn't a good idea and that you should get up and do something. But it's always easy to say that when you're not the one who's having the problem. You're a very strong woman. You're dealing with it. That you agreed to fly to Montana with me, left the apartment and were at the airport with me without breaking down was already a huge step and yesterday you walked around on the farm as if everything was perfectly fine. If you then have moments in which you just want to hide, that's perfectly okay. No one's expecting anything from you."

Listening to his answer, Lindsay felt herself getting relieved. He was right; she was trying her best to not suppress her memories and instead deal with her fear and panic. It wasn't easy and she couldn't constantly do what would be the best for her. There would always be days and moments in which she needed a break from working herself out of this traumatic experience.

She needed his support, but even more than a good advice, she needed him to accept her wishes as well. Pushing her wouldn't help.

"But I thought we planned on doing something nice today," Lindsay said then, moving a bit so she could look up at Danny.

He shrugged. "Yeah, but who defines 'something nice'? I don't need to go on a trip around the city or anything like that. If you feel like staying on the farm, that's perfectly fine. If your parents want, we can spend some time together with them. We could also just sit around and do nothing. Or stay in bed. You could also show me more of the farm and if you don't force me to ride them, you could introduce me to the horses."

Lindsay couldn't help but smile at his answer. "Oh, you really want to meet the horses?"

"Why not?" Danny asked with a smirk. "I mean it, we'll do what you're comfortable with. If you want to just relax on the farm and do nothing, that's fine. We also don't have to have hours long conversations. I'm no psychologist or anyone who knows what you're supposed to do. But I know by now that I don't have to tell you what to do. I don't have to force you to do anything."

"Thank you," she answered, resting her head back on his chest. "And I promise I won't start asking you if it's really fine to you to do what I want."

He chuckled, his chest vibrating beneath her. "It was about time you'd believe me." He let his hand stroke up and down her back, like always making her feel comfortable with this soothing gesture. "What do you say? We'll stay in bed for a bit, then we'll get up and have breakfast? I guess that's already a nice start."

"Sounds good to me," she agreed.

Lindsay knew Danny wouldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do. She was grateful for his acceptance and more and more she started to understand that she didn't have to question his decisions. If she was in his position, she would offer the same support. And she wouldn't hesitate to accept it anymore.

* * *

While Lindsay was in the bathroom to have a shower, Danny had decided to go downstairs again. He had heard noises coming from the kitchen and assumed Hannah or Darren had to be up already. After the previous night when her parents had shown up in their bedroom, he felt like having a short talk to one of them.

Like expected, Hannah was standing at the stove, handling two pans and a pot at the same time. She reminded Danny of his own mother, just with the difference that Hannah seemed to have a bigger heart. There was space for everyone, even people she rarely knew. He knew he should have listened to Lindsay; she knew her parents the best.

"Hey, good morning," Hannah greeted him, briefly looking up to offer a friendly smile. "Breakfast's almost ready."

"Do you need any help?" he asked.

Hannah raised her eyebrows, playfully shaking her head at him. "How can you even ask? You're our guest. It's my husband's job to ask that, not yours." She nodded towards the already set kitchen table. "Have a seat."

Danny did like he was told. Sitting down at the table, he allowed himself a moment to take in the room which he assumed had been used for many family meetings already. It was a comfortable place. Danny loved to visit his own mother and sit in her kitchen, but so far, he had never felt as welcome and comfortable as he did now. The kitchen was big, it was lovingly decorated. For an odd moment, it reminded him of the modern version of a good, old cowboy's home.

"You like being here now, am I right?" Hannah asked as if reading his mind. Obviously she had finished what she had been doing before as she made her way over to the table as well and joined him. "You really didn't have a reason to be scared. If you meet my sons, they'll like you as well."

"We'll see about that," Danny answered, still not really sure.

Hannah laughed. "I know my sons, don't worry. And if they don't treat you nicely, believe me, your girlfriend will punish them for that."

Danny chuckled as well. "I could actually see her doing that."

Hannah nodded. He could see how her facial expression changed, getting serious again. He could understand her reaction. Like he had explained to Lindsay; it was impossible for them not to get affected. They were close to her, she meant a lot to them. Of course they couldn't pretend everything was fine while it was not with her.

"How is she doing this morning?" Hannah asked then.

"Better I'd say," Danny answered. He had to admit he was grateful Hannah had brought up the topic. He knew all he had to do was following his instinct. Yet he felt the wish to talk to someone who had to go through the role of the supporter a couple of years ago, hoping she could give him advice. "She didn't have another nightmare. But well...she's really not happy like yesterday."

Hannah nodded. "It's unfair, isn't it? Things are fine. Everything's great. She smiles and laughs and then she has those nightmares again."

Danny couldn't help but blush a bit. "Maybe she shouldn't have told me about what happened to her over here. Maybe this brought it back."

"No, I doubt that." Hannah shook her head. "The memories of what happened to her friends are there all the time. She told me they're coming back even more since she was kidnapped. And especially since she's here again. It's important for her that you know about it. It was bothering her that there was this secret between the two of you. I guess it helped her more than anything. Back then, she also had her phases when everything was fine, and then without a warning, the nightmares came back. It'll take a while until that gets better. Even more important it is that there are people who support her when nightmares and fear are pulling her down again."

"She said she doesn't want to go out today at all. That she'd prefer to stay in bed all day and do nothing," Danny told her. "I'm not sure if my advice was the right one though."

"What did you tell her?" Hannah wanted to know.

"Just that it's up to her what she wants to do," Danny answered. "I mean, it's not like she's not willing to do anything to get better. I know what a big step it was for her to go on this trip with me. She's trying her best to face her fears and work on them. But I think when there are days when she doesn't want to do anything, it's her right to do that. No one can constantly work on themselves. I guess there are always moments when you need a break and if this means she wants to do nothing at all, I guess that's fine." His face turned red again. "That's at least what I think, but I'm not sure if that's good for her."

"I guess if someone knows what's good for her, it's you," Hannah answered with a soft smile. "Really. When she called me and announced you'd visit us, she told me how you took care of her. She doesn't need someone who keeps on pushing her; she can do that herself. I know you encouraged her to see the therapist. That was a good idea. Pushing her towards this was necessary. But forcing her to go out and work on her fears every day no matter how she's feeling wouldn't be a good one, believe me. She needs support. She needs someone who helps her to make one step after the other, not someone who pushes her to make them faster and faster. Those phases in which she just wants to hide and do nothing and see no one are so rare. I agree with you. She should be allowed to have them. Especially as she's here to relax and feel better. This is not therapy, and she's not supposed to go to work either. She can do whatever she wants."

Hannah's smile widened lightly as she saw Danny's relieved expression. "You shouldn't worry so much and you shouldn't question yourself either. You told my husband what huge progresses she's making and I'm seeing that myself. She's a very strong woman and you realised that. You know her so well, and it seems like so far, all your decisions helped her a lot. Don't question what you're telling her. You're doing this very well."

"Thank you," Danny answered, feeling slightly embarrassed because of this compliment. "It's just that I think that she knows quite well what's good for her. She needs encouragement and she needs help when it comes to talking about things and accepting help. But she is definitely a very strong woman. Truth is, I'm fascinated by how she keeps on working on her problems even though she keeps on having those nightmares. If I was her, I might already have gotten frustrated and possibly would have given up already. Two traumatic experiences and she still manages to get up in the morning, even if it's hard for her sometimes. And she even manages to laugh again. I doubt many people would be able to do that."

"Definitely," Hannah answered. Danny smiled as he saw the pride in her eyes. "That's why I agree with you. She manages to stay strong despite all that. If she has a moment in which she just want someone to hold her or when she doesn't want to do anything or see anyone, it's her right. Soon she will be showing us again what a strong person she is." Her smile softened. "I guess apart from her own strength, it's also you who's responsible for the progresses she's making. She told me how much it helps her to know that you're there, holding her when she needs it, listening to her when she wants to talk and accepting her wishes. You keep on offering support and help without hesitation. That's why she trusts in you so much. She knows you mean it. She knows she can count on you. She's strong herself, yes, but still she needs someone who helps her through this. I'm glad she has you."

Danny believed that at this point, his face had turned red like a tomato. "Well, I know she's there for me as well. When I had those...problems with my brother, she supported me all the time as well. I guess it's something we have in common." Once again, he smiled. "And our feelings for each other of course."

Hannah nodded. "See? And you wonder if we might or might not like you? That's really not up to debate. You're part of this family now, if you want or not."

Danny couldn't help but laugh. Hannah's warm words caused a wonderful feeling if relief deep inside him. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Hannah answered.

And while Hannah and Danny continued talking, Lindsay stood near the door, watching her mother and boyfriend with a smile. She was amazed by what those two were thinking about her and knowing how much they believed in her was encouraging her more than anything.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I thought I had updated already, but hey, now here is the chapter! I hope you will like it! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Special thanks to Dine89, afrozenheart412 and webdlfan!**

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**After having dinner with her parents and Danny, Lindsay had headed into the barn. Originally she had planned to head into town with her boyfriend, but she didn't feel like that at all after having yet another rough nightmare.

They were coming back and that didn't surprise her. There were phases in which things seemed to be easier; like the last few days. This didn't mean she had forgotten about what had happened and was over the fear. The nightmares came back occasionally, and the effect they had on her could be strong, depending on how intense they had been.

Lindsay also knew that things would get better soon. Soon, she would be able to go back to work. Work would keep her distracted, even if the fear and memories might return in unfitting moments. But she had learnt to handle such situations, she knew enough coping mechanisms to get through panic attacks or memories that bothered her.

But at the moment, she was in Montana. She was at her parents' farm. Danny had taken a whole week of vacation for this trip. Lindsay knew he wasn't expecting anything from her; he would do everything but putting pressure on her.

When Lindsay had told him that she wanted to do nothing in particular, it had been fine to him. It relieved her to know that she wouldn't be forced to show him around in Bozeman. She had to admit she felt embarrassed by the fact that for her, it was already a big step to walk around on the farm instead of hiding in her bed all day long.

She knew baby steps were more than nothing, but still she felt the urge to push herself more. Fortunately Danny was supporting her in the way she needed it. He had convinced her that she needed to see a therapist. He had also convinced her that there was nothing wrong with taking a step backwards and doing nothing if this was what she was longing for.

A soft smile lit Lindsay's face as she made her way into the barn. This was one of many places on the farmland which she had liked to go to as a child. Many times, when children at school had been rude to her, when memories of what had happened to her friends had bothered her, she had hidden in the barn, sometimes for several hours. At first, her parents had come looking for her, to make sure she was alright and not getting herself into trouble. Soon, they had realised that she needed this time off and had allowed her those hours of privacy.

Slowly, she walked down the long way that let along the stables. The floor was dirty and a bit wet as her father had tried to wash away most of the dirt earlier. The stables were filled with fresh hay. The horses were moving around in their boxes, snuffling occasionally.

Stopping in the middle of the barn, Lindsay allowed herself a moment to take her surroundings in and focus on nothing else but what she could see, hear and smell. The morning sun was finding its way into the barn through the slits in the wooden walls, drawing surreal silhouettes on the dirty floor. The smell of hay and horses was intoxicating.

And as she was standing there, simply enjoying this wonderful place, Lindsay felt herself relaxing again. She didn't know what exactly caused it, but the barn always had had a calming effect on her, and it still did. With her smile widening, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and wandered along the stables. She stopped again as she heard footsteps behind her and another shadow joined hers on the wet ground.

"Your Mom told me you'd surely be here," Danny said. "And guess what? For some reason she managed to fill a whole basket with sandwiches and lemonade for us. She must be a magician."

Turning around to her boyfriend, Lindsay smiled as he waved the basket at her with a smirk. "Let me guess, she said we'd have a bigger meal for dinner and shouldn't bother to return for lunch because she wants us to relax and just enjoy the beautiful day together. Right?"

Danny chuckled. "Yep, that's what she said." He paused, raising an eyebrow at her. "Wait, how did you know that so well? Did you spend such nice picnic days with many guys before?"

Lindsay couldn't help but laugh at his question, mixed with the look he was giving her. Even in the half dark of the barn, she could see the jealousy rising in his eyes. He didn't seem to enjoy the thought of another man doing what he wanted to do with her.

"No, I didn't." She made her way over to him and grabbed the handle of the basket, holding it together with him. Only the basket was seperating them as she gazed up at him, using the moment to take him in for a moment. Apart from the hints of jealousy, there it was again; this warmth that was so stunning, that made her feel so happy, so comfortable, so loved.

"No, I didn't," she repeated. "I didn't have many boyfriends anyway, and those few relationships didn't last long either." She hesitated. There was more she wanted to let him know, but such honesty still wasn't easy for her.

"What is it?" Danny wanted to know. Releasing the handle of the basket from one hand, he lifted her chin gently, making her look at him. "What else did you want to say? I thought we agreed that we don't have to be shy."

It took Lindsay another moment before she could reply. Nervousness was filling her, like every time she wanted to make a confession. His hand returned to the baskt, but this time he rested it on top of hers. Warmth flooded through her, starting in her hands, wandering through her arms until it spread into every inch of her body. There was indeed no reason to be shy.

"I guess it's the first time I feel like that with a man," she told him. "You know, this special connection we have. I know I don't have to be shy in front of you, that no matter if I have nightmares or break down, I don't have to feel embarrassed. I know I can talk to you about everything." She paused again before she added, "I think it's the first time I'm in love. I really love you. I never experienced this feeling before. And I also never experienced how it's like to be loved back, to have someone who is always there for me, who doesn't expect anything back and wants me the way I am."

A warm smile lit his face at her word. He set the basket onto the floor and closed the last bit of distance between them. His hands came to rest on her hips and gently, he pulled her close against his chest. Briefly, his lips brushed over hers in the whisper of a kiss before he locked eyes with her again.

"I'm feeling the same way," he answered softly. "It's the first time I know how it feels like to be loved, and to love someone myself. It is a wonderful feeling. I do believe we have a special connection. That's why we can trust in each other so much." He pointed down at the basket. "Why don't we look for a nice place in here and enjoy the sandwiches and the lemonade? And while we're doing that, we can continue this little conversation. Or talk about whatever else you'd like to discuss with me."

Smiling back at Danny, Lindsay nodded. He didn't need to say more. She knew he understood her completely and she didn't have a doubt that indeed he was feeling the same way. And she knew exactly where they would spend the next few hours together.

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When Lindsay had told him that she knew the perfect place for a picnic, Danny had expected them to head out into the fields. He knew she loved those wheat fields and after seeing some himself, he could even understand why. There was something stunning about standing in front of a wheat field that seemed to touch the sky at the horizon in the far distance. The wheat was waving in the soft, constant wind, rushing lightly. It looked like a huge, golden ocean and when he had gotten to enjoy this sight for the first time, he had stood and stared for several minutes.

Instead she had led him up a wooden ladder, and a minute later, he found himself on the first floor of the barn, surrounded by nothing else but hay. The hay seemed to be made of pure gold thanks to the bright sunshine that was finding its way though two windows. Across of each other, those windows lit up the whole room, but yet it was dark enough to create a wonderful, romantic atmosphere. Even he had to admit that.

They had spread a blanket in the middle of this ocean of hay and together had enjoyed all those sandwiches Hannah Monroe had made for them. Full and satisfied, they had lain down on the blanket then. Lying on his back, Danny had wrapped an arm around Lindsay, whose head was resting on his chest while her arms were wrapped around his waist tightly. It was a moment which couldn't be any more perfect.

"Did I promise too much when I told you I knew the perfect place?" she asked after a while.

He chuckled. "I have the feeling there are many perfect places in Montana. First the lake. Then this tree. Now here."

"Yeah, they are all places that mean something to me," she told him. Adjusting her position a bit, Lindsay gazed up at him. "I often came here when I didn't want to be around anyone else. You know, I often talked to my parents when something was bothering me, but sometimes I just wanted to be on my own."

"I can imagine," Danny answered. "And I can also imagine that this is a perfect place for that. It's so quiet here. No one's interrupting you in your thoughts. No one's seeing you when you're upset."

"Exactly," she agreed. She sighed softly. "I love the barn, you know? I love to be up here. I love lying in the hay, enjoying this smell. There is just something special about the smell of hay. I love it when the sun is shining and makes the hay look like pure gold. And I love it when it's raining and storming outside and you feel so cosy and warm in here, wrapped up in a blanket."

He nodded. Danny could clearly imagine how many times Lindsay had been sitting up there, wrapped in a blanket, staring out of one of the windows while it was raining. There was something comforting about rain, especially when oneself felt comfortable and warm inside a room.

"Do you miss that sometimes?" he couldn't help but ask then. "Do you miss sitting here? Or going to that lake? Or being around your parents all the time? Would you have liked to be here after what had happened with Quinn?"

She gazed back at him for a couple of moments and it seemed as if he could see the thoughts that were running through her mind. "No," she answered. "No, I didn't miss it. Why? That's easy. Because I love New York. I love to wander along the streets, seeing all the people around me. I love to see all those lights of the buildings when I'm looking out of my window. I can also snuggle up in bed at my apartment. And when Quinn did this to me...well, I got everything I needed. I had someone who took care of me, who listened to me, who held me when I had nightmares, who helped me to do all those little things again that were scaring me. How could I not be grateful for that and instead wish for something else?"

Danny couldn't help but smile at her words. He had hoped to get such an answer from Lindsay. "You know, you still have all that. You can always count on me."

"I know, and I hope same counts for you." Gently, she ran her fingers over his cheek. "You have no idea how much you mean to me. How happy you make me. I felt so bad this morning when I woke up. And last night even more. But see? Now we're up here, and I'm so much better. That's not because of this place, it's because of you. Do you have an idea of how good it feels when you embrace me? There's nothing more comforting than that, than knowing that you love me and that I can count on you. That I can trust in you."

The honesty of her little speech was amazing Danny. He knew she had had a hard time with letting him in at first, but he had earned her trust. Now Lindsay loved him, just as much as he loved her. Hearing such confessions just reassured him that she wouldn't change her mind. New York was her home.

"You know, what we have is a unique thing," Danny said then. "Even when people are together as a couple, it doesn't mean they can trust in each other that much."

Lindsay nodded in agreement. "This relationship is a gift." She smiled at him. "This trip to Montana was a good idea. There's so much we can do together, without me having to be around a huge crowd of people. Maybe that'll make it easier when we're back in New York. And when I have to go to work again."

"Don't stress yourself with work," he replied. "Mac said you only come back when you really feel like it." He knew Mac wouldn't mind if she needed more weeks, even more months. He had to admit though that it amazed him how going back to work was a topic for her again. So far Danny hadn't talked about work and Lindsay hadn't started the topic either. Now she was obviously thinking of going back to work again, and he knew that this was yet another big step into the right direction.

"I know," she answered. "But I have to do it sooner or later. Even if I waited a whole year, there would still be situations that wouldn't be easy. I just have to do it. I just have to go out more often, I have to go back to work. Even if there might be days when I can't do it, but at least I should try it. I'll get used to it. And being here is a good way to practice for that."

"Plus you always have me, and I'm sure Mac will allow us to work together most of the time," he added.

She nodded again, her smile widening. "See, this is what I meant." She snuggled closer. "I'm so glad we stopped dancing around each other and admitted our feelings. Even if it wasn't easy."

"I know." He bent down to kiss her. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she answered, kissing him back.

Danny and Lindsay spent another hour with talking and cuddling before they returned to the farm house. Things were getting easier; both of them could feel it. Sometimes she made baby steps, sometimes those steps were a lot bigger. But whatever she did, he was proud of her. And of them, as he knew they were a perfect team; first as friends and now as a couple.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Thanks so much for your lovely reviews and for reading this story! It's quite long already and I'm grateful for your feedback! Thanks so much! Special thanks to Dine89, afrozenheart412, LoveIsInTheAir4DL and Montanagirl2009!**

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**Danny had hoped that the idea of a vacation would be good for Lindsay. Of course a different location couldn't change what had happened to her in the past. Nothing would change that; he couldn't turn back time. But at least, so he had hoped, maybe the distance to the city would help her to relax a bit, to get different thoughts and be distracted.

He had to admit he was surprised that indeed, his plan had worked. He hadn't expected that suddenly everything would be fine and she would laugh and talk all day long. He had just hoped that she would feel more relaxed, and that was what he could witness now.

Lindsay still had her nightmares and she also still had her moments in which she didn't want to talk to anyone, in which she just wanted to hide somewhere. But Danny could see the changes. He could see how she was making one step after the other into the right direction.

He knew it was still a long journey, but if she was feeling better in Montana, chances were good she would have it easier back in New York as well. He was convinced that both of them had needed this time out. They had to go through a lot during the last weeks. This vacation was good for them both.

And it had brought them closer together as well. Now, after more than half of their vacation in Montana, Danny still had a hard time with understanding that he wasn't just imagining things. He and Lindsay were indeed together. They loved each other. They knew more about each other than about anyone else.

Danny could clearly remember a certain conversation which he had had with Sid Hammerback a while ago. The older man never had a problem with speaking out what he had in mind. So he hadn't hesitated to let him know what he was thinking of his behaviour; for Sid, it was clear that Danny had a crush on Lindsay.

Back then, he had firmly denied it, but if he had been honest to himself, he had already known back then that Sid was right. He had feelings for Lindsay. But still Danny just hadn't been able to imagine them as a couple. They had this special connection, but he had been sure she only saw them as close friends.

Even when he had offered all his support to her, he hadn't done it because he had expected anything back, because he had the goal to get together with Lindsay. Danny simply felt the need to be there for her, to give her what she needed the most in this situation, without hoping that sooner or later, more would happen between them.

Now they were together, and whenever he realised that, Danny discovered a strange feeling of excitement which was still new to him. Lindsay meant everything to him and he was glad she had decided to give them a chance, despite how she was feeling at the moment. She had a lot to deal with and he had felt a little hesitant because he didn't want to put pressure on her with their relationship. Obviously this was what she needed though.

But even though they were together now, Danny was still interested in keeping things slow. Now that he and Lindsay were together, he knew how badly he had wanted to be in a relationship with her. He didn't want to ruin that, especially as he had earned her trust. She had uncovered her soul in front of him, had shown sides of herself which couldn't be any more personal.

She had let him in, although he knew she counted to the group of people he was a part of as well; she feared to get hurt. Yet obviously he had done something that had made her believe that he would be there and would be the right one to see her break down, to see her cry, to listen to all the stories she had to tell.

This trust was important to him and he didn't want to ruin it with speeding things up. Of course he couldn't deny it wasn't easy to kiss her, to hold her in his arms and not try to move them to the next step. It was an instinct and it was hard to ignore. But he knew; pushing her into this direction just because he couldn't control himself wouldn't be helpful for her at all.

"I hope you're thinking of anything nice."

Lindsay's voice interrupted Danny in his thoughts. When he had woken up after a little afternoon nap, she had still been asleep, and very soon, he had gotten lost in his thoughts. Now she was half lying on his chest, gazing up at him with a soft smile. He felt the strong urge to kiss her and gently, he brushed his thumb over her soft, warm lips. She was a beautiful, stunning woman and once again, he couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't dared to admit his feelings to her a little sooner. Then again this didn't mean either of them would have been ready for this relationship yet. The bond between them had gotten this strong during the last couple of weeks.

"I was thinking of you," he answered.

"Of me?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "I hope in a good way."

Danny chuckled. "As if I'd not think of you in a good way." He bent forward and placed a kiss onto her forehead. "I was just thinking about how good this vacation seems to be for us."

"You mean because we got together?" Lindsay asked with a wink. Even he had to admit he was amazed that a vacation at her parents' farm had been needed for them to get together. At least he didn't have to worry what his parents would think of him.

"Not only because of that," he answered. "I also think it was good to get some distance between us and the city. And everything else over there."

She nodded. "True. But we'll have to get back soon."

He didn't miss the hints of disappointment in her voice. For just a moment, he felt himself getting nervous; did she dislike the idea of getting back? But immediately, another thought found its way into his mind. She didn't dislike getting back home; New York had become her home. She had told him that. Just like she had told him that all she wanted was being together with him.

"Would you rather like to stay here?" Danny asked anyway.

Lindsay shrugged. "It's difficult to say. You know that New York is home for me. But so is Montana." She paused. "The last few days...they were so good. Yes, I had my rough moments, but...well, compared to how I felt before, I feel so much better now. I actually don't hide in the bedroom all day long. And as stupid as it sounds, but things like showering or going out of the house aren't that difficult anymore either. I just am afraid that if I go back home, it'll all get bad again."

"I don't think it'll all get bad again," he said. "That you're feeling better doesn't have to do with the location. I think this vacation was good for you so far, because you could change the location, because you could be here with me and your family. But after all, it's you who's working on yourself. I'm here with you, I see how much you're working on your fears and on yourself. I mean, since we arrived here, you also had to deal with your other memories coming back. It's not like everything got better. I think it will be hard to be back and maybe at the beginning you might have your problems, but I'm pretty certain that after the first few days, you'll be back to how you're now."

Lindsay offered a light smile. "You have a lot of faith in me."

Danny smiled back at her. Gently, he ran a hand through her curly hair. "Of course I do. I think you're the strongest person I ever met." He kissed her forehead again. "I mean that, Lindsay. You can be proud of yourself. You had to face two very traumatic experiences. Yet you didn't give up. You're a fighter. No matter how bad you feel, you work through it."

"It's not just about me," she answered, her cheeks reddening. "I depend on help. Back then it was the help of my parents and now it's yours."

"Of course, but no one can do everything by themselves," he replied. "You could receive as much help as even possible, but after all it's important what you do with this help. Do you use it to fight and get yourself back to the top? Or do you still give up? To me, you're an amazingly strong woman and I won't change my opinion about that."

Lindsay chuckled, much to his joy. "You're a very stubborn man, you know that?" It was her turn to kiss him. For that, she moved closer and he couldn't help but shiver as her whole body got in contact with his. She felt so good and instinctively, his arms wrapped around her. The kiss deepened and very soon, he got lost in the sensation. It cost him a lot of self control to make them stop again.

As she pulled back, he could see her face was even redder than before. But before he could say anything, she was faster. "Is everything okay?" she wanted to know.

"Of course," he answered. "Why?"

Lindsay shrugged. "I was just wondering. I mean...because you stopped."

Danny sighed lightly. "But not because something is wrong. I just think we should take our time with that. There's no reason to rush things."

"We're together now," she replied. "I doubt we're rushing anything."

"That is good," he said. "But...well, I just want you to know I'm really serious about this." He paused, thinking about how to word best what he wanted to say. "See, in pretty much all my relationships, things started with sex. It was mostly what I cared for. I didn't need all this emotional stuff. I didn't want to open my heart to any of those women anyway. But with you...it's different, okay? I'm serious about us. I want this relationship to work. I love you, and that doesn't mean I have nothing else but jumping into bed with you. Trust me, I'd love to. You're the sexiest woman I ever had."

"Sure." Lindsay raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"I mean it," Danny answered. "Really. You're such a beautiful and sexy woman. I want you, believe me. But I think right now, other things are more important in this relationship. I want to wait until you're feeling better. I want you to enjoy it. I want it to be special. Really special. I want us to think back to our first time and remember how amazing it was. I don't want you to link our first time with all those feelings you're dealing with at the moment."

Danny hoped Lindsay had understood what he had wanted to bring across. He really wanted her. She was beautiful, she was sexy; to sum it up, she was everything he had always wanted. But he wanted their first night together to be something special, not something they would do within her recovery while she was still dealing with those painful feelings.

To his relief, she smiled at him lightly. "And you said you're not romantic," she replied.

He laughed. "I'm not romantic?"

"You are," she said firmly, her smile widening a bit. "You want this to be special for us. I do think that is romantic. And I agree with you. I don't want to think back to our first time and remember how bad I felt in general. I just don't want you to get impatient and annoyed because you have to wait. I can't tell you when I'll be fine again."

"I won't get impatient and I won't get annoyed either," Danny promised. "I can wait, really. All I want is us to be together and happy. That's all that matters."

"You're sweet." Once again, Lindsay kissed him and as she pulled back, she was still smiling. "So, now that we agreed not to spend the whole day in bed, what else are we supposed to do?" To his surprise and delight, her smile changed into a grin. "Oh, I know something. You still have to learn horseback riding."

Sighing, he rolled his eyes. "Do we really have to do that? I could just watch you. You know, you also learn a lot from watching."

Laughing, she shook her head. "No, you'll try it. For me, okay? Come on."

He sighed again. "That's unfair, you know exactly that I have to say 'yes' when you're looking at me like that."

She winked at him. "Then let's get up. I promise I'll pick a really friendly horse for you."

Danny tried his best to seem annoyed, but he couldn't help the smile that lit his face as he saw how excited Lindsay was. He was willing to do a lot to make her happy, and even if he wasn't into horseback riding, he would give it a try.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Hello! How is everyone? Here's a new chapter for you. This story is getting longer and longer. ;) Thanks to everyone who is still reading and reviewing it! I hope you'll continue doing that! Special thanks to afrozenheart412 and Dine89!**

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The week in Montana was good for them all. Danny had come up with the idea because he had believed that some distance to the city and to everything that had happened there would be good for Lindsay. She hadn't been so sure about that at first, but by the time they would head back to New York, she was convinced that it had indeed been a good idea.

In a few minutes, they would ride back to the airport. Sitting at her bedroom window, Lindsay was glanced out of it, once again taking in the impressive view. Somehow the imagination of going back to the city already felt strange to her.

Over the last couple of days, she had gotten so much better. Thanks to Danny's support but also to her parents, she had been distracted a lot, yet had been able to deal with what had happened.

She was feeling more confident, was able to leave the house and the day before, they had even headed to Bozeman. Slowly, ever so slowly, she was getting better, but now that she knew they would be back in New York soon, she felt her insecurity return.

"Is everything okay?"

Interrupted by Danny's voice, Lindsay turned around briefly, offering a smile. "Sure," she said, before she glanced back out of the window again. "Everything's fine."

Even though she wasn't looking at him, Lindsay knew which look Danny was giving her. The two of them had always been close, had always been able to somehow sense what the other one was feeling and thinking.

But since they were spending so much time with each other and since they were together, it seemed as if they had learnt to read each other's mind. Of course he could feel something was bothering her.

Sighing lightly, he made his way over to the window as well and joined her on the opposite side of the window sill. There they sat together, staring out of the window, enjoying the sight of endless wheat fields, a bright blue sky and sunshine that caused the snow on top of the mountains to glister like millions of tiny diamonds.

"Are you sure you're ready to go back to New York?" he wanted to know then.

"Of course," she answered.

Once again, he sighed. She felt how he reached for her hands and took them into his. Glancing up at him, she found him studying her closely, not believing her words.

"Really, I am ready to go back," Lindsay repeated. "I'm just nervous. And I think it's normal that it feels a bit odd for me to go back to New York after being here again for a week. You know New York is my home and I love it, but I grew up here. I missed Montana as well." She hesitated. "And a lot of nice things happened during the week."

"Yeah, they did," Danny agreed, gently brushing his thumbs over the backs of her hands. This gesture never felt to have a calming effect on her. "I'm sure your parents wouldn't mind if you stayed a little longer. Maybe you need more time. I mean, it all happened in New York and you'll be reminded of it."

"But sooner or later I have to go back," she told him. "And over here I also get reminded of some painful part of my past. I can't always run away. I needed this break because it allowed me to focus and think about something else. It gave me the distance I needed. But now I have to go back and deal with it at home." She offered a tiny smile. "Apart from that, you have to go back to work again, and I don't want to stay here while you're back home already."

He smiled as well. "That's sweet of you." Bending forward, he kissed her softly. "Alright, we'll go back home. But do me a favour, okay? You'll continue therapy. You'll talk to me when you're feeling bad, no matter if I'm at home or at work. And you won't rush going back to work yourself. Mac said you should take all the time you need. It won't help you if you get a panic attack and break down at work."

"You're always worrying, huh?" she asked, still with a smile. Then she got serious again. "I know you said it who knows how often before; I know you want to help me through this. But I want you to do me a favour as well, okay? Slow down a bit. I don't want you to break down one day because you invested so much energy into being there for me. I didn't miss that you're restless sometimes at night and that you're exhausted." She blushed softly; something that often happened when she felt guilty. "I don't want this to affect you that much. I know you can't do anything against it, but...it's still so irrational that you did all that for me, even before we got together. I wish I could somehow make it good again."

"I think we discussed that more than once before," he told her, once again giving her a kiss. "You don't have to make anything good again, especially as I didn't forget how much love and support you invested in me when I was dealing with what happened to Louie. We love each other. We belong together, you know? Something's uniting us. I think we should finally stop worrying and just accept that the other one will always be there for us. No matter how exhausting and intense that might be. Yeah, of course this is affecting me, of course I'm restless at night sometimes. I love you, how could I not be affected by this? I want you to get better, and I don't want you to pretend you are better. That hurts more than you just showing how you're feeling and letting me help you with this."

Lindsay nodded. Danny was right; they had discussed this topic more than once. Yet his answer was different to what he had said before. More than once, he had tried to make clear that he wanted to be there for her. Now he had admitted even more; he loved her, of course he was affected. She wouldn't feel any different herself.

But then, another thought found its way into her mind, and once again she felt her insecurity return.

"What it is?" Danny wanted to know.

Lindsay shrugged, glancing back out of the window. "I was just wondering what we'll do when we're back home," she said.

"What exactly do you mean?" he asked.

She glanced back at him, trying to fight down the uncomfortable feeling that was filling her. "Well, I was wondering...now that I'm starting to feel better, do you want me to move back into my own apartment?"

"What?" Danny looked back at her in confusion; obviously he hadn't been prepared for such a question at all. "Why?"

Once again, she shrugged. "You let me move in with you because I was feeling so bad, but maybe you think that now it's about time I could be on my own in my apartment again."

To Danny, Lindsay's explanations still seemed to make no sense. He studied her for a couple of moments, unsure on what to reply. She could feel her cheeks reddening again.

"Do you think you want to move back into your old apartment?" he asked her then. "And I'd like to get an honest answer. We're together now and I think I don't have to repeat that I want you to tell me what you really think, not what you believe is the best answer."

Lindsay hesitated. She knew exactly what she wanted to answer, but even though Danny had encouraged her to say the truth, she found it hard to do that. She knew he didn't mind being there for her, she knew he wanted to support her. Still there was the voice deep within her that was telling her that he was too polite to tell her when he needed his space again.

But then his words found their way back into her mind. So many times, he had told her that he wanted to do nothing else but support her. And just as often he had asked her what she would do if she was in his situation. The answer was easy; she would do everything to help, and she wouldn't get enough of helping. All he wanted was her honesty, and she could imagine that a lie would hurt more than the truth would ever exhaust him.

"I know I'm getting better," she started then. "I'm not having that many nightmares at the moment. I can shower without getting panic attacks. I can leave the house and even when we were in Bozeman, I didn't want to head back home right away. But the thing is...I fear getting back. I fear how I'll feel when I'm back in the city. I know it won't get as bad as it was before, but I know it won't stay as good as it's now, and even now it's not perfect at all. I...well, I don't want to imagine how it'd feel like to wake up from a nightmare and realise I'm at my apartment, all by myself. The thought of that alone frightens me." She blushed. "I hate saying that. I hate feeling weak."

Sighing deeply, Danny reached out for her, gently pulling Lindsay over to him. As good as possible on the window sill, he embraced her, pulling her close against his chest. "How many more times am I supposed to tell you that you aren't weak?" he whispered into her hair, gently running his hands up and down her back. "I know it's hard for you to accept, but recovery requires time. You should know that from how long it took you to get better after what happened to your friends. Give yourself time. You aren't weak just because you don't want to be alone. If there's a person who's not weak at all, it's you. That's another thing I told you before. Someone's who's able to handle such a traumatic experience after having to go through another trauma as a teenager is strong. I'm amazed by how you're fighting with this, how you're working through this experience. I can't find enough words to describe how proud I am of you."

He placed a gentle kiss into her hair, tightening his arms around her. "To tell you the truth, I wouldn't have let you move out anyway. I don't want you to be alone with those nightmares. Even if we weren't together yet, I'd have asked you to stay at my apartment, but now that we're together...honestly, I didn't expect you to ask this question in the first place. I wouldn't mind if you just moved in with me permanently."

It was Lindsay's turn to be surprised. Wiggling herself out of his tight embrace, Lindsay looked up at Danny with a questioning look. "Really?" she asked.

He chuckled. "Yeah, really." He kissed her onto her forehead. He offered a brief smile before his face turned serious again. "See...like you said, this is affecting me as well. I'd worry all the time if you're really okay, if you're sleeping well at night, if you aren't sitting at home, suddenly having a panic attack. I got so used to being together with you every day, to sharing a bed with you. I can't imagine you just moving back into your own apartment. I love having you around and knowing you're at my apartment. I can understand if you still want to move back into your apartment when you're sure that you can handle that. But...well, if it's up to me, I'd be happy if you just moved in with me permanently."

To Lindsay's surprise, Danny blushed lightly. She had to admit that she hadn't been prepared for such a confession. Obviously he hadn't been either. "I never expected myself to say that to a woman," he admitted. "But I also never expected that I'd care for someone so much. That I'd fall in love. Yet that's what happened, and I wouldn't want it any other way. You changed me, Montana. I want us to stay as close as we're now. And yeah, I'd be happy if we could share an apartment." He paused. "I don't want to control you though."

A chuckle escaped her. "I didn't think that." Bending forward, she kissed him softly onto the lips. "I asked because I wasn't sure how you're feeling about this. I know you want to help me through this and that you love me, but I didn't want to ask for too much." She stopped for a moment. "I have to admit I knew this would affect you, but I didn't think about how you'd feel like if I moved back into my old apartment. I thought me being around you all the time would be tougher for you."

He shook his head. "No, it's the opposite. And like I said, I got used to you always being there. It's wonderful." Once again, he wrapped his arms around her. "This is my first serious relationship, the first time I love a woman. It's wonderful."

"I know what you mean," she answered. A soft smile lit her face. "When we're back in New York, maybe we should get all my stuff to your apartment then."

"Sounds like a fantastic plan to me," he replied, smiling himself.

Lindsay knew her relationship with Danny had changed. She knew this was due to the love that united them for quite a while, but she also knew that what they had to go through together had helped them to discover this love and to admit it. Both of them had gotten used to being around each other all day long, but not just in the funny moments. They were ready to move in with each other and both of them knew it would be the right decision. And thanks to the prospect of moving in with him permanently, she felt less nervous about coming home again.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Here's a new chapter finally. I hope you'll like it. I hope some of you are still reading. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Special thanks to afrozenheart412, Lady-Buster and Dine89!**

* * *

When they had arrived in Montana, Danny had been nervous. He hadn't had any idea of how Lindsay's parents would react to him, even though they hadn't been together yet. Fortunately her parents liked him and even though he had found out about another painful story from her past, the trip had been good for them. Not only did she feel better, they also were a couple now.

And he knew that her parents trusted in him as well. Even more difficult it was for him as they stood next to their rental car. The time in Montana had been great, they had enjoyed it and both of them were unsure on what would await them when they would return to the city. Things had been easier in Montana and he didn't want her to feel worse again.

"We'll call when we're back home," Lindsay said after embracing her parents for several long minutes. Even though Danny had a good relationship to them as well, he had felt slightly uncomfortable. Some inner voice was still wondering if maybe she would feel happier in Montana, but quickly he tried to push those thoughts aside. They had discussed this topic more than once.

"That'd be nice," Hannah said, embracing Lindsay again. "You know how I am." Sighing lightly, she turned to Danny. "It was so nice to meet you. I hope you'll visit us again soon. I know, you surely have other ideas of a perfect vacation, but I think our farm is good for everyone who needs to relax and leave stress behind."

"I'd like to come around again," Danny answered, letting Hannah embrace him as well. Then his attention turned to Darren. Meeting Darren had made Danny nervous the most. Fortunately the two men had shared a long conversation in which Danny had found out how the other man was really thinking about him.

"Make sure to take care of my baby girl," Darren whispered as he shook his hand. "She trusts in you and she loves you. And don't forget what a special person you are for her. Not everyone would have been there for her like you. Don't doubt that you're good for her. She's happy with you, that's all that matters. And thanks to you, she's feeling better already."

"I promise I'll continue being there for her," Danny whispered back. "Thanks for this week. I guess it was good for me as well."

"I'm glad to know that," Darren answered.

A few more words were exchanged, then Danny and Lindsay were already sitting in their car again. A few minutes later, they had left the car behind and were driving down the highway, back to the airport.

And with every moment, he could feel more tension radiating from his girlfriend. Several times, Danny glanced at Lindsay, trying to check if she was alright. Unfortunately what he saw proved his instinct right. She was staring out of the front window, trying to hide the emotions she was dealing with at the moment.

Biting his bottom lip, Danny tried to figure out what he was supposed to do next. By now, he and Lindsay had gotten into a lot of difficult and very emotional situations. Several times, he had been confronted with moments which would have overwhelmed him in the past, but somehow he had managed to help her. Obviously Don was right; he should listen to his instinct. Of course it could happen that he would make a mistake, but most of the time, his instinct would tell him what she needed.

Once again, Danny glanced at Lindsay. He didn't miss the tears that were rising in her eyes, and as one of them rolled down her cheek, he couldn't help the lump he had in his own throat. He couldn't just sit there and let her deal with her feelings on her own. Too often, she had tried to do that in the past. Now she had him and he knew from own experience that a supporter helped more than anything.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly. "And don't be shy, okay? Don't forget how many different sides of you I saw already."

Lindsay was quiet for another few moments. Then a soft sob escaped her. Shaking her head, she answered, "I don't get what's wrong. I'm looking forward to going back to New York. It's home for me. But somehow...I don't know."

"Do you think you should have stayed here longer?" he wanted to know.

She shook her head. "It's not that. Yeah, sure I'll miss being around them all day long and only talking on the phone is not the same. But...well, one thing I realised during the week is that New York is my home. It was always my dream to live in New York, and now that we're together, it feels even more like home. It's really not that."

Just for a brief second, a tiny smile lit Danny's face. She had told him before that she wouldn't move back to Montana; even this week hadn't changed that. But immediately, he became serious again. Lindsay's tears were flowing free now, and so he stopped his car at the edge of the highway.

"Come here," he said, gently pulling her into his arms. He didn't say more. Instead he just held her close, allowing her to cry. With the time he had learnt that sometimes words didn't help as much as gestures. Nothing he could say right now would change how she was feeling. Even though they were convinced that she wouldn't get much worse when they were back, he could imagine she was still frightened of what was expecting her.

For several long minutes, Danny comforted her. The way Lindsay had her arms wrapped around him warmed his heart. Darren was right; she really trusted in him. He was grateful that he was in this position, even though it pained him as well when he saw her dealing with those strong emotions.

"Are you better now?" he asked, gently releasing her from his embrace. Sitting up straight again, Lindsay wiped her tears away and like so many times, he saw how her cheeks started to redden.

"Great, we just left and I start crying already," she said.

Danny offered a comforting smile. "There's nothing wrong with that." Gently, he ran a hand through her curly hair. "Do you want to tell me what made you cry?"

Lindsay shrugged. "You'll just think I'm stupid."

Playfully rolling his eyes, Danny shook his head at her. "As if I'd ever think that." He took one of her hands into his, signalling her he was listening. "Tell me what's up."

Lindsay sighed deeply. "See...during the last week, I felt like I was in some kind of a bubble. I still was scared and had my nightmares, plus I had to think of my past again. But...well, still I felt better. I felt like everything was a bit unreal. Everything was easier. I could go out without getting a panic attack. I was even able to tell you that I love you. And now? Now we'll go back home and...everything will be back to normal. I...I know I still have time until I'll have to go back to work again, but..."

Her voice trailed off again, but Danny had a suspicion of what she wanted to say. He waited until Lindsay continued and her speech proved him right.

"I want to go back to work," Lindsay told him. "I really want to. I don't want to stay at the apartment all day long. But...see, I fear what'll happen then. Will I be able to handle the cases? What if I'm at a crime scene and have a break down? I know how unpredictable they are. What if what we have to deal with at work will make it worse again? And...well, then there are also those little things. I...you know I didn't find it too easy to be in Bozeman, what will happen if lets say I get shopping by myself?" Once again, tears started to roll down her eyes. "I know you say I'm not weak and I know I can be proud of myself for dealing with everything that happened. But...I so hate feeling like that! I hate feeling like a victim. I hated it back then and I hate it now! I want to be the way I was before this happened. I want to go to work and look forward to what's awaiting me. I want to go shopping and enjoy it."

"And you will," Danny answered. He could understand her pain, and once again he decided to follow his instinct and speak out what he had in mind. "I know it's hard at the moment, but this is a rough situation. It's your right to be angry. But imagine what you'd tell a victim who'd sit in front of you in the interrogation room. What would you tell them?"

Lindsay sighed softly. "I get what you mean."

But Danny shook his head. "No, just answer. What do you tell them when you talk to them?"

Once again, she shrugged. "I'd tell them that it's good to talk about it, that they should turn to someone who they trust in and that with some help, they'll start to feel better with the time."

Danny nodded. "Exactly. Everyone needs comfort, Montana. I know you want to stop feeling like a victim, you want to be free and independent again. That'll happen, I know that. And you should know that as well; after all you were in such a situation before. If you could handle what happened back then, you can handle this as well. I know you want things to speed up, to arrive in New York, go back to work and do everything you did before that cop kidnapped you. But as hard as this might sound now, that's not going to happen like that. One step after the other, Montana. Remember how you were right after it happened. Look at how much better you're now. It helped you that I was there for you, but you also helped yourself a lot. It's the perfect mix; receiving comfort from someone you love and having your own strength. But as strong as you are, don't push yourself too much. Yeah, everything seemed to be easier out here, but you'll see, sooner or later, you'll get better at home as well. Work might be hard at first, but no one's going to push you; everyone will understand when it gets too much for you. But you have to accept that as well. Give yourself the time you need. You'll see, in no time you'll be back to your old self."

Another sigh escaped her. Then Lindsay glanced up at him again and even though her face was still red and wet, a tiny hint of a smile was tearing at the corners of her mouth. "You always know what to say, huh?" She ran a hand through her curls. "I know I have to be patient, but sometimes it's just pissing me off. I have enough of being a victim."

"I wouldn't even say you're a victim," Danny said. "You went through some traumatic experiences. Now you're dealing with them. And like I said, it's your right to be pissed. But you're strong. This man might have hurt you, but after all he didn't win."

"I know," Lindsay agreed. Taking a deep breah, she leant back in her seat. "I want to go home now. We should hurry if we want to catch our flight."

Nodding, Danny started the car again. He could imagine why Lindsay was angry. She wanted to feel normal again. She didn't want to ask for comfort. But he knew that deep inside she was aware of the fact that asking for help was nothing bad. She just had to accept that she had to make one step after the other.

* * *

Lindsay was glad when she and Danny arrived at their apartment. Yet she had to admit the ride from the airport and even the flight had been easier for her than she had expected. Unlike what she had believed at first, the crowded airport hadn't bothered her as much as it had done when they had arrived and as they had been sitting in their taxi, she even had felt brief moments of excitement. They were back home.

"Here we are," Danny said as he let them inside. "I hope Don watered the flowers."

Lindsay chuckled. Indeed they had asked Don to take care of the apartment, and obviously he had taken his job serious. While Danny put their suitcases into their bedroom, Lindsay headed into the living room. Stopping in the middle of it, she allowed herself to take it in for a moment. With a tiny smile on her face, she walked over to the window then.

There it was right in front of her, the skyline of New York City. Back in Montana, she had felt as if she had been in some kind of a bubble. She had been more relaxed, calmer. But now that she was back, reality didn't hit her like expected. Instead she felt a wonderful feeling filling her which she hadn't associated with this city until now. This was her home, and never before, she had felt so welcome.

"Is everything alright?" Danny wanted to know, stepping behind her.

Allowing him to wrap his arms around her waist, Lindsay leaned back into him. "Yeah, I'm fine," she answered. "I'm home."

"Yeah, you are," he answered, placing a kiss into her curly hair.

And with that, Danny and Lindsay enjoyed the beautiful view in front of them. She knew she had to be patient, and she also knew that her mood would change various times. But she felt more comfortable than she had expected. And she wouldn't hesitate to ask for comfort if she needed it.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: How about a new chapter? :) I wrote this chapter ages ago, I almost forgot to post it! I have some more chapters written already, so I'll try to have the next chapter posted soon as well. I hope you'll enjoy this update! Like always, thanks for reading and reviewing. Please let me know what you think. Special thanks to afrozenheart412, RandomTVFan30 and Lady-Buster!**

* * *

She had been worried about returning to the city. After all, Lindsay had gotten so used again to being in Montana, especially together with Danny. Everything had seemed to be so much easier out there in the country.

Even the return of old memories. It hadn't be a surprise to her that this trip had reminded her of what had happened to her friends as well; after all, those memories followed her everywhere.

But the return of those memories had been an advantage as well. It had allowed Lindsay to talk to Danny about them, and now there were no secrets between them anymore.

And she knew she could fully trust in him. She had been aware of that all the time, but during their trip to Montana, she had realised even more how much he meant to her.

They had to go through a rough couple of weeks, and Lindsay was still amazed when she looked back at them. Danny had spent a lot of time on being there for her, going through all her up and down phases with her. He had comforted her after having nightmares, had listened to her stories, had been so patient and understanding.

But even though she knew she had him by her side, returning to New York had been difficult. In Montana, on the farm, she had known that she could take things slow. She could go out of the house without being surrounded by masses of people. She could walk a bit and would be in the middle of the country. Everything had been so much more peaceful.

Now she knew that things would be back to normal. Danny had to return to work, which meant Lindsay would be on her own for several hours. Just the thought of that made her cringe, and she hated the feeling of nervousness that filled her immediately.

She didn't want to depend on him like that. Lindsay knew that Danny wanted to support her. By now, she also knew that he truly loved her. She was no burden for him; even though it was difficult, she had understood that. But she didn't want to be clingy, she didn't want to depend on him, and make him feel as if he had to be there for her all the time.

Yet this seemed to be what she needed. She wanted him around, but she also was aware of the fact that she would have to continue making one step after the other. Her time in Montana had given her the chance to gain some self confidence again. She was able to leave the house, she managed to be at the crowded airport without feeling like breaking down every moment.

She had made huge progresses over the weeks, and she knew she had to continue that. One step after the other. Slowly. To those steps counted that she would be at home on her own for a couple of hours. She would have to get used to that. After all he would be back in the evening, and then he would offer the comfort she needed.

But Lindsay also knew that sooner or later, she would have to return to work. She even wanted to. For weeks now, she hadn't been working any cases. She was starting to miss it. Of course Mac would allow her to take as much time off as she needed, but sooner or later, she would have to face her fear. She would have to work again, no matter how difficult some cases were to handle.

"Can't you sleep anymore?" a sleepy voice asked next to her, startling her back into the present.

"Oh, no worries, I'm fine," Lindsay answered, offering a smile. Still Danny reached over to the bedside table and switched the light on.

Giving her a questioning look, he asked, "Did you have a nightmare again? You could've just woken me up. I told you that, right?"

Lindsay couldn't help but smile a little more at his words, combined with the way he talked and looked at her. From her family members, she knew how it felt like when someone cared for her. With someone who had once been a friend and had now become her partner, this was an entirely new experience. An enjoyable experience though.

"I'm fine, really," she promised. "I didn't have a nightmare. I was a little restless, but I'm fine. You don't have to worry all the time."

"Well, that's not that easy I'd say," he answered, rolling onto his side, supporting his head with his hand. He studied her closely. Reaching out, he brushed his fingers over her cheek; a loving gesture that never failed to cause a wonderful warmth deep within her. "You'll tell me when you don't feel well, right? No matter when that happens and what caused it. I promise I'll listen, and I don't mind. Don't forget that, okay?"

"Sure," she promised.

"Even when I'm at work, right?" Danny added, giving her a serious look.

A tiny chuckle escaped Lindsay. "You're stubborn." Her smile softened. "I know you'd listen, but I think calling you at work is a little too much. I'm not a baby. I'll do just fine for a few hours. How am I supposed to go back to work any time soon when I can't even be at home alone for a bit?"

"I didn't mean you're a baby or that you aren't able to be alone," Danny answered. "I just don't want you to do this whole 'I can do it no matter what', okay? We said one step after the other."

"You're such a sweetheart, you know that?" Bending forward, Lindsay kissed him softly. Then her face turned serious again. "I know I'm supposed to take one step after the other, but...I don't think I want to stay at home for another couple of moments. Can you maybe...ask Mac if he thinks I could come back soon?"

Danny's eyes widened. "What?"

Lindsay felt her cheeks redden slightly at the intense gaze he was giving her. "I didn't mean that I want to be back to work like I was before all this happened. I just want to return slowly. Maybe I could just work a couple of hours already. Maybe I could start with paperwork. I just don't want to continue sitting here all day long. I want to start again. Not now, but maybe...soon? I would like to do something with my time, and I think this is the best way to get back into work. One step after the other, right? Maybe it'd be a good start."

Danny glanced back at her in silence. Lindsay wished she was able to read his mind, to understand what he was thinking about as he studied her so closely. Did he like her idea, or did he think she was crazy? She had no idea. Fortunately he didn't let her wonder for long.

"Are you sure you want that?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Like I said, I don't want to rush back in. But maybe...a few hours a week, some paperwork. I could get used to being at the lab again, and to our colleagues. I could also see our friends again, without them having to come over all the time." With a tiny wink, she added, "And you can always check on me, whenever you want to."

Danny couldn't help but laugh at her comment. "I see, you thought that through pretty well. But...well, when I woke up, you didn't look like you were too happy. I don't want you to force yourself into anything."

"I'm not doing that, really," Lindsay tried to assure him. "See, I did think about how I want to handle the next time. It'll be hard, and I don't want to be alone all the time. I know it's hard to go back to work, but who knows if it might help me? Maybe I have to force myself a bit to make one step after the other. It's hard work, it's not something smooth and easily. And if I see it doesn't work well, I can just continue staying at home again."

Once again, Danny watched her for a few moments. Then he nodded. "Fine, I'll talk with Mac about that. Let's see what he'll say."

Lindsay smiled back at him. She knew Danny was unsure on whether this idea was good or not, and she had to admit she was surprised by her sudden idea as well. But she knew she had to push herself a little. After all she could still change her mind later again.

* * *

It was early the next morning when Danny woke up. For a moment, he was confused as he found the other half of his bed empty, but the sound of the rushing shower told him where Lindsay was, and immediately he relaxed.

A smile lit his face as he thought of his girlfriend. He knew she was still bothered by what had happened, and indeed she had felt a little more uncomfortable since they had returned to New York. But she was strong and dealing with it; much to his amazement.

Danny had to admit he wasn't sure whether Lindsay's idea to return to work soon was good or not. But he knew this decision wasn't up to him. She knew herself the best and she knew when she was supposed to make the next step, no matter what he thought of that.

He would talk to Mac and see what their boss would say. Indeed she could start slowly, with little things to do, until she was ready to do more. Maybe this would indeed be the best for her to do. After all she was the best when it came to facing difficult and painful situations.

He lay in bed for another couple of minutes until he couldn't keep himself there anymore. Slowly, he got up and made his way into the bathroom as well. He would be back to work soon, and then he wouldn't be around her for the entire day. This was one reason why he was in fact happy she would start working again; he had gotten used to being around her all day long.

And why not use all chances now that both of them were at home? Danny had promised he and Lindsay would take things slowly. As he quietly started to undress as well in the bathroom, his last intention was to get anything going between her and him the moment he would join her in the shower. He had something else in mind; sex would follow when both of them had reached this point in their relationship.

Like expected, Lindsay instantly turned around the moment he lifted the shower curtain a bit. She glanced up at him with big, surprised eyes. Danny offered a soft smile as he joined her.

"No worries, I have nothing naughty in mind," he promised, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss. "But I thought maybe you'd like me to help you with the shower a bit."

One glance into her eyes was enough for him to see that she still was struggling with water. A while ago, he hadn't been able to join her in the shower, but now that they were together, there was nothing wrong with that. Of course it was hard for him to control himself as he enjoyed her in all her naked glory. She was a beautiful woman, and whenever he saw her undressed, he got excited. Especially now that she was so close to him. He felt a strong urge to pull her against him, kiss her deeply.

But once again he wanted to use this moment to prove how trustworthy he was.

"Did you wash your hair already?" he wanted to know.

Lindsay shook her head. "No," she answered.

"You'd mind?" Danny asked, reaching for her shampoo.

She shook her head, looking less surprised now. Standing there in front of him, not without allowing her own eyes to roam over his body, she waited while he put some shampoo into his hand. There was this intense tension between them, and it would have been easy for him to take things much further. But there was also this intense closeness between them, and the love he felt for her made it a lot easier not to grab her but instead respect her wish not to rush things.

So he started to cover her hair in the deliciously smelling shampoo. Danny watched her face closely. Lindsay looked up at him for a couple of moments. Then she closed her eyes, in a way that told him she enjoyed what he was doing. The way she stood there, with her eyes closed, with every bit of herself showing him how much she enjoyed his company, how much she trusted in him, caused a wonderful feeling of joy to fill him. Carefully, he washed the shampoo out of her hair before he reached for the soap.

Danny and Lindsay spent a long time in the shower together, simply enjoying each other's company and the wonderful bond that united them. Her reactions to him confirmed once again how much she really trusted in him. He knew she would turn to him, would be honest about her feelings, and more and more he started to believe that her idea had been good. After all she wouldn't hesitate to come to him.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Hello everyone! Here's a new update for it. I hope you'll like it. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Special thanks to RandomTVFan30, webdlfan, afrozenheart412 and Dine89!**

* * *

Like promised, he had talked to Mac. Danny was still convinced that Lindsay should stay at home, that she wasn't ready for returning to work yet. Weeks had passed since the kidnapping, but in his eyes, this was by far not enough. He could understand her wish to return to work though. Maybe paperwork would be able to distract her, and after all he could still be there to offer comfort if she needed it.

Mac had agreed with him and had offered that she could return a week after him. Lindsay had thanked him for his help. Maybe returning was indeed good for her. Danny had his doubts, but this time he had chosen to keep those thoughts to himself. He had seen what she had to go through in the past weeks. He knew how tired she was of feeling like a victim. And of being treated like one by people around her.

But as much as he was ready to accept her wish, he hadn't been able to prevent himself from watching her closely. Like expected, he had seen how fragile her mood still was. She had gone through constant ups and downs in Montana and Danny couldn't deny that he believed the change of location and the vibe of a vacation, of being miles away from the normal all day life, had helped her.

Now Lindsay was back in New York and he could clearly feel she was struggling more than she

had in Montana, despite the fact that the return to her old home had caused those old memories of another traumatic experience to return. He knew she had felt like she had been able to hide on this farm; she had felt like being in an own little world where no harm could reach her.

The nightmares had kept on returning, but the quiet and patience she had faced on the farm with him and her parents had helped her with dealing with them. Now, with every little step she made, she was returning to her old all day life. She couldn't hide in the farm house or the barn, she couldn't walk to one of her favourite places in the wilderness together with him.

She was back in the city, he would have to return to work, so would she. She had made huge progresses, she felt a lot better than she had before their vacation. But still it was a constant struggling for her, and he knew that one wrong experience would be enough for her fragile walls to break again. He hated this knowledge, but he understood that the step to return to work was necessary for her.

"Are you ready?" Danny asked as he joined his girlfriend in the living room. She had curled up on the couch, wrapped in a thick blanket, with a random movie on screen. The expression in her eyes told him that she probably didn't even know what she was watching.

"What?" Lindsay asked, startled back to the present.

"Sorry," he apologized, joining her on the couch. Like so many times before, he felt the strong urge to take her into his arms as he watched her, holding her tight. Even after the last couple of weeks, he still could remember what he had felt the moment they had found out she had been kidnapped, how he had suffered during those days they had tried to find her. Ever since then, he felt the strong urge to protect her. It was a challenge for him not to give in to this urge whenever he had to deal with it, knowing this would only make her feel weak.

"Are you ready for work tomorrow?" he repeated his question, tilting his head to the side as he studied her. He didn't miss how she tensed lightly at his words, but then looked at him with a smile.

"Of course I am," she told him.

He nodded slowly. "You do know you just have to say a word and you don't have to return yet, right?"

Lindsay raised her eyebrows at him. "What do you want to tell me with that?"

A soft sigh left Danny's lips. "I just want you to know that no one's expecting you to return for the case you aren't ready yet."

"I told you I am," Lindsay said, more firmly this time. "Yes, I'm nervous, but I didn't work for a couple of weeks. The last time has been rough. I doubt anyone would feel relaxed in this situation." She sighed as well. "Sorry, I don't want to be snappy. I just want you to stop wondering if it's the right thing to do. You only want me to do stuff that makes me happy, but that's not how my recovery works. I have to deal with situations that frighten me. It's what I had to do with showers. Now I have to do it with my job."

"I know that. I understand you, really," Danny replied. Subconsciously, he had moved closer. Deciding to stop ignoring his inner instinct, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently drawing her closer. "But you have to understand me as well. I know you have to deal with stuff that scares you because avoiding it won't work. But...I just can't help it. I promise I'll try to stop questioning your decisions, but I can't stop fearing you might do a mistake because all I want is you to feel good. I..." His voice trailed off.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing." He shook his head.

Lindsay rolled her eyes at him. "You expect me to be honest, but now it's you who's keeping it all to himself? What is it?"

"I just..." Danny hesitated for another moment before he continued, "I saw what you had to go through right after it happened. I won't ever forget how you woke up at night, how you screamed in fear. I won't ever forget how you were clinging to me and crying until you couldn't breath anymore. I remember how your memories mixed up when you remembered what happened to your friends. I love you and it's breaking my heart when I see you so frightened. I just want you to be happy. When we brought you back home, I promised myself that I'd try everything to keep harm away from you. And no, that's not your fault and it also doesn't mean you should keep it all to yourself. Those are my frightening feelings I have to deal with. Just like you have to deal with your fears." He placed a soft kiss into her curls. "I got it, okay? I'll try not to force my wishes on you, but please understand that I can't just stop being worried."

Lindsay glanced back at him, the expression in her eyes telling Danny she had understood. It was her turn to gently run a hand through his hair. With a soft smile on her face, she kissed him onto his cheek.

"I can't tell you enough how grateful I am that you care for me like that," she whispered into his ear. "I love you, too, and I promise I'll let you know if it's getting too much for me."

Danny nodded. He tightened his arms around his girlfriend as Lindsay snuggled into him. Both of them were affected by the recent experiences, and both of them had to accept each other's ways to deal with it.

* * *

_Returning to work had been easier than she had thought. For hours now, Lindsay had been busy with paperwork and indeed it had managed to distract her. Stella had visited her, telling her how happy she was back. Danny had called her a couple of times. The shift had been fine so far._

_But now she needed a break. Yawning lightly, Lindsay made her way to the locker room. It confused her how quiet and empty the lab seemed to be. The hallways were dark as if the lab had closed hours ago already._

_The lab never closed. Someone was always there. Apart from that, it couldn't be that late yet. Shaking her head, Lindsay sped up her steps. Closer and closer she got to the locker room, but she couldn't deny her heart was hammering unnaturally fast in her chest. Shivers were running down her spine and she released a relieved sigh as she reached her goal. Her hand was shaking lightly as she reached out for the door handle._

_The wanted to scream as she was grabbed from behind, but a strong hand covered her mouth, muffled the sound._

"_Where are you going to?" a male voice whispered into her ear; a voice that hadn't said more than a few sentences to her in the past, but instantly she recognized Officer Quinn. "You remember me, don't you?"_

_He didn't allow her a second to answer. Instead he pushed the door open and dragged her into the locker room. There were no lockers though. Instead she found herself in a dark, cold room. A room she knew only too well. She had spent three days in it._

"_Don't even think about screaming," he told her coldly. "No one's gonna hear you anyway."_

_Forcefully, he pushed her forward, causing her to trip. Lindsay didn't manage to prevent herself from falling onto the rough, hard floor. She wanted to scream, but it seemed as if she had lost the ability to speak. Fear was paralysing her. She couldn't move. The temperature in the room seemed to have dropped drastically, she was shivering violently. She forced herself to turn around, facing the man who was know waving his baseball bat at her. _

_Her mind was screaming at her body as she tried to move away from him, tried to rescue herself. But there he stood with a cold grin on his face. He studied her for a moment before he lifted the baseball bat._

As Lindsay jerked awake, she wasn't able to scream. She opened her mouth, but no sound left her lips. All she could hear were her own heavy breaths; the lack of oxygen caused by the enormous fear that was filling every inch of her made her believe she would choke every second. In panic, she fought off her blanket and blindly ran into the direction where she imagined the bedroom door had to be. Still no scream would leave her lips as she tried to call for help.

She slammed hard against the closed door. In desperation, she hit against it, trying to get out, in pure need for air. Her whole body seemed to stiffen in fear, she was freezing and shaking violently. Tears were streaming down her face as she tried to get out of the dark room, without having any idea of where she wanted to get to.

It was the light that suddenly filled the room which finally drew a scream from her lips. She couldn't see more than silhouettes as her view was fogged with tears. She could hear a voice talking to her, but it was overshadowed by her own screams. Her mind was spinning due to lack of oxygen, and desperately she fought against the urge to faint.

"Lindsay!"

Her named was the only word that finally made its way through to her. For a moment, she was quiet, but as two arms wrapped around her, she felt the urge to scream and fight again. She felt how she was pressed against someone's chest, how she was dragged back to the bed she had tried to flee out before.

"Lindsay, please, it's me," the voice repeated over and over again. It seemed to take her endlessly long until she recognized the man who was trying to catch her attention.

"Danny, I...I can't...I..." she gasped, almost getting overwhelmed by her constantly increasing panic.

Danny didn't answer. Instead he pulled her out of their bed again. Lindsay felt how he led her through the room. She could make out a metallic sound and was hit by a cold breeze of fresh air. The unexpected wind caused her to gasp and instinctively, she took a deep breath, filling her desperate lungs with the much needed air.

"Keep on breathing," Danny told her, his arms staying wrapped around her tightly. Clinging to her boyfriend, she tried to do like she was told. It took her another couple of moments of struggling until she believed she was no longer lacking of oxygen.

"I'm freezing," she whispered after a while.

Nodding, Danny closed the window again. Gently, he led Lindsay back to their bed. He didn't say a word until both of them had climbed back into it, had been securely tugged into their blankets. Soothingly, he was running his hands up and down her back, allowing her some time to recover from yet another surprisingly intense and scary nightmare.

"What was it about this time?" he asked then, his voice still so low and quiet that it was comforting rather than scaring her.

"I was at...work," she whispered, not sure if he could understand her. "No one was there. He...caught me at the locker room. But...that wasn't even the locker room. He...he pushed me in there and then...he had this baseball bat and he...he...beat me..." Another sob escaped her and once again she shuddered.

"It was just a dream," Danny whispered back. "Quinn's in jail. He won't get out of there, believe me. He won't ever hurt you again."

"I know," Lindsay managed to say, struggling with every word. New tears started to flow as realisation hit her. "I bet you're expecting me to...not to..."

"Return to work?" Danny wanted to know. At her nod, he added, "Is that what you think? That you shouldn't return to work? I told you no one would mind if you thought you're not ready for that yet."

"But do you think I shouldn't do it?" Lindsay repeated her question.

Danny glanced back at her and it seemed as if she could see the various thoughts that were running through his mind. After such an intense nightmare that seemed to reach the intensity of those she had had shortly after returning home, she expected only one answer from him.

"If you're still convinced you want to go back to work," Danny said then. "I think you should do it." At her surprised look, he offered a soft smile. "The lab is safe. You won't be alone like in your dream. There's always someone around. I know everyone will check on you from time to time, me included. If there's a place where you're safe and have someone around you if needed, it's at work. Plus it allows you to get used to other people again."

"But I thought..." she whispered, in utter surprise.

"I know," he told her softly. "I know I was against it. But see...I think you were right. If you sit at home all day long, waiting for me to come back, it won't help you at all. Things need to get back to normal. Maybe that'll be good for you. If it gets too much and you're getting panic attacks at work as well, you can rethink your decision." He paused. "But please, do me the favour and only return if that's really want you want."

For another couple of moments, Lindsay couldn't help but stare at Danny. Then, despite the exhaustion caused by her intense reactions to her nightmare, a tiny smile lit her face.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for saying that."

"I just want you to do what's right for you, and on that way, you have my full support." He placed a soft kiss onto her forehead. "Are you feeling any better yet?"

Lindsay nodded. "I'm just...tired. And freezing." She hesitated. "Can we maybe...I mean, just tonight...I'm sure it won't happen every night again."

"Yeah, they come and go. Same happened in Montana as well after all." He wrapped the blanket a little tighter around her. "Of course we can keep the lights on. Now sleep. You'll have to be fit for work. I bet Mac has a lot of paperwork for you."

Nodding, Lindsay lay down together with him, allowing him to hold her closer. She was surprised by his reaction, but she knew this was the proof that Danny had understood her. She would have to deal with relapses; there could always be intense nightmares and panic attacks. But she had to continue making progresses; one step after the other. After all, she had a lot of people who supported her with them.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I have a new chapter for you! I hope you'll like it! Special thanks to RandomTVFan30 and afrozenheart412!**

* * *

Returning to work definitely was a challenge for her. As they had arrived in the underground car park, Danny had promised that he and Lindsay would only enter it together until she felt safe there. He had told her about the extra security cameras that had been installed.

Entering the building hadn't been easy either though, mainly because people had been unsure on how to behave around her. Should they welcome her, should they just offer a smile and say nothing to her? Only her closest friends had obviously had the right instinct.

The shift itself had been easier for Lindsay. Like Danny had expected, Mac had given her a lot of paperwork to do. Of course her boss had let her know not to work too much and stop if she got tired and needed a break.

But Mac knew her good enough to be aware of the fact that she rather worked without a break during her shift than having nothing to do at the moment. Indeed the various files had been a good distraction for her.

She was back. Lindsay had to admit it was a strange feeling to sit in this office again after such a long time. Nothing had changed, and this knowledge had a calming effect on her. She could easily slide back into the team, because a part of it again without much afford. She was welcome and everyone seemed to be happy she had returned to work.

With the time, as the talking had stopped as well, she had even dared to leave her office and make a round through the lab, seeing what everyone was doing. It felt good to have one constant back; slowly things were getting back to normal. Step by step.

Yawning lightly, Lindsay closed another file, stretching her arms, wincing at the noises her back made. Indeed it could be exhausting to spend a whole shift at her desk, but she knew; as encouraged as she was, working in the field was too much at the moment. It was hard enough to see crime scene photos; she didn't want to get anywhere near a crime scene right now.

"You're really busy like a little bee."

Lindsay chuckled as she glanced up, finding a smiling Stella leaning in the doorway of her office. "Am I?"

Stella nodded. "Absolutely. May I come in?"

"Of course." With a sigh, Lindsay leaned back in her chair, watching her friend as she sat down at the desk across of her. She could feel Stella had wanted to visit her a couple of times already during the day, but so far hadn't dared to do it. Lindsay had to admit though that, apart from Danny, Stella was the one person she preferred to talk to the most. Because she was a great friend, but also because she was well aware of what she was going through.

"I thought up so many things I'd say when I'd come in here," Stella started then, offering the warm smile which never failed to touch Lindsay. "But let's face it, you're in the same situation I was in when I returned after what happened with Frankie, and we both know that it's hovering above our heads like a huge, fat, blinking signal."

Another chuckle escaped Lindsay. She was surprised by how grateful she was for Stella's way to start this conversation; she was the first and only one so far who didn't bother to dance around her.

"How are you feeling?" Stella wanted to know then. "Is it hard to be back?"

"It's okay actually," Lindsay answered honestly. "I had quite a rough nightmare tonight, but I think I was just nervous. Now that I'm here...I don't know, it feels good to be back. It feels good to have some normality again."

"I know what you mean." Stella nodded. "Having to deal with such a situation is hard, but we have to keep on moving, right?" She paused. "I can't tell you how glad I am that you've Danny in this. I remember how glad I was to get so much support from you and Mac."

Lindsay smiled softly. "He's wonderful. He's there for me all the time. He let me move in with him. I can't imagine how much he did for me already." She swallowed as she felt the rising emotions caused by the knowledge of how much her boyfriend had to deal with himself during her recovery.

"Don't do that," Stella told her warmly.

"Don't do what?" Lindsay asked back.

"He doesn't mind it. He loves you," Stella said.

Lindsay smiled as well. "I know he does. That doesn't change anything though. He told me how hard it was for him as well. How it's paining him."

"But that's normal when you're in something together," Stella replied. "You'd feel the same way if you were in his situation. It's normal, and you know he doesn't mind. It just shows how much he cares for you."

"Yeah, and I also learnt I'm supposed to talk because keeping it to myself makes it worse for myself and for him as well," Lindsay said.

Stella nodded. "Exactly. Very true," she agreed. She hesitated. "You know, whenever you want to talk to someone else as well, I'll always listen."

"I know you will." Lindsay's smile widened. "I also know you understand how it's like. Even if the situations were different."

"It'll get better with the time. One day, you'll still think about it and it still hurts, but it won't scare you that easily anymore," Stella said.

"Yeah, that's always how it is," Lindsay replied. She wasn't ready to tell Stella yet that she knew exactly how it felt like to get over a traumatic experience; not right now. She was determined to turn to her friend though if she needed it.

"Don't you want to have a break maybe? You've been working non stop," Stella said then.

"Yeah, maybe in a few minutes." Lindsay smiled once again. "First I want to get another file done."

She watched as Stella left again. Just briefly, she let her eyes wander to the locker room. She knew she couldn't avoid it forever, and she didn't always want to ask someone to go with her. It had just been a dream, nothing more. It made no sense to keep on waiting. Sooner or later, she had to make a break, even if she would just have the sandwiches she had taken with her.

Once again, she glanced at the stack of files next to her. Then, with a deep sigh, Lindsay got up. It was about time to stop avoiding this room just because of a dream she had had the night before. She had been working for hours now, and she needed a little break.

Slowly, she made her way through the lab until she reached the room in question. The closer she got to it, the faster her heart was beating. As she reached out to grab the door handle, her hands were shaking, her heart was racing, she was shivering lightly. But she didn't want to back off. Not now.

Forcefully, she pushed the door handle down and let herself into the semi dark room. For a short moment, she was relieved as she realised nothing was changing; this was the old, familiar locker room. Quinn wasn't there, he wouldn't get a chance to kidnap her again.

Very slowly, she made her way to her locker. The room was completely empty. The air was cool, almost seeming a little wet. She managed to all her way to her locker.

But then she couldn't take it anymore. Once again, the old fear rushed back. Once again, her heart was racing, even worse than earlier. Instantly, she started to gasp for air as breathing became more difficult. Shakily, she let herself fall onto the bench in front of her locker, grasping the wood below her tightly. Taking deep breaths, she tried to stop the rising panic attack. Without any success though. Tears started to rise in her eyes as the increasing fear started to paralyse her.

"Lindsay, are you okay?"

Lindsay didn't bother to wonder where Stella had suddenly come from. Through the fog that seemed to surround her, she could hear how her friend hurried over to her. A moment later, two arms wrapped around her.

"Kiddo, talk to me. Are you okay?" she asked, in a nervous voice. "Talk to me, kiddo. I can't help you when you're not talking to me."

"I...I just want...can you..." Lindsay stopped, trying to gather enough breath to speak a proper sentence. "Can you...call Danny...please?"

"Of course," Stella answered. Lindsay felt how she was released from her friend's arms. A moment later, she could hear her friend talking on her phone, and she knew; in a few moment, Danny would be back.

* * *

All day long, Danny had found it difficult to concentrate. He had waited for Lindsay to call him, and a few times, he had called her himself. He knew he wasn't supposed to overreact, but he wanted to make sure she was really doing well.

He had changed his mind about her return to work. It had taken him a while, but he had understood that she needed to go back. After all, she needed to get used to a normal all day life again.

Fortunately, she had really seemed to do well whenever he had called her. Until Stella had called him, telling him Lindsay needed to see him.

Luckily he had been at the lab already, so it didn't take him long to get to their office where Stella had taken her to.

What he saw was what he had expected. Sitting on the small couch they had in their office, Lindsay was staring at some random spot in front of her, arms wrapped around herself as she was recovering from her previous panic attack. Danny was glad to see that obviously Stella had been able to calm her down again. As he entered the room, Stella got up from her spot on the couch.

"I think I'll leave you alone now," she whispered.

Danny nodded. "Thanks." He joined Lindsay on the couch, instinctively wrapping an arm around her shoulder. In relief he noticed how she leaned into him without needing any more encouragement.

"Are you okay?" he wanted to know, gently running a hand through her curly hair. As she nodded, he added, "What happened?"

"Everything was fine, until I went to the locker room," she told him in her usual quiet voice. "I don't know what happened. I just went in there and I got scared. I don't know if it was because of the dream." She sighed deeply, and he could feel her frustration. "I was doing so well during the day, and now this."

"Don't be mad." Gently, Danny rested a hand on her hands which had clenched into tight fists. "You did well, exactly. This is your first day back at work, and you got so much done already. You talked to people, you felt well and comfortable. Imagine what a huge step returning to work has been for you, and look at how amazingly well you're handling it. Yeah, maybe the locker room scared you because of your dream or maybe because of how dark and cold it is. Maybe it reminded you of the underground car park, or of those rooms he locked you in. That's fine. Then if you want to go there, ask someone to go with you. No one'll mind."

Lindsay groaned. "Fantastic, so I can't even go there on my own anymore?"

"Maybe not now, but sooner or later, you will." Adjusting their positions a bit, he made her look at him. "Don't be impatient. There was a time when you didn't even dare to leave the apartment. You made so many progresses with the time. This is just another step which you'll be able to make sooner or later."

Lindsay studied him for a moment with slightly raised eyebrows. Then a soft smile lit her face. "You really believe in me, huh?"

Danny returned her smile. "Of course I do. You're such a strong woman. I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you," she answered, snuggling back against him.

Danny was convinced that her decision to return to work had been right. Indeed Lindsay was doing well with her work and with interacting with her co-workers. He could understand her impatience but he would make sure she would keep in mind how successful she was already.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: So, here's the last chapter of this story. I'd like to thank everyone for reading and reviewing and for supporting this fic. It got a lot longer than I expected. I hope you enjoyed it. Special thanks to RandomTVFan30, webdlfan and Daisy1966, and to afrozenheart412 for being an awesome friend and supporter of my stories for so many years already!**

* * *

A few weeks later

The apartment was dark as she let herself into it. For just a moment, Lindsay felt the familiar nervousness creeping up her spine, making her shudder. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her nerves down.

Those moments still happened occasionally. Same counted for her nightmares. They were rare, but still sometimes the old, familiar fear found its way back into her mind. She had accepted that.

And she had stopped keeping it all inside. Lindsay had needed her time but had finally understood that she could turn to Danny whenever she needed to talk.

She didn't hesitate anymore. More than once he had proven his point to her, and she would do the same for him.

Months had passed since she had been kidnapped in the underground car park of the crime lab. More than once, she had cursed herself because in her opinion, she hadn't gotten over those events fast enough.

She had been impatient, not willing to feel like a victim again, not willing to deal with this kind of pain again.

But the love and support of the man who had actually just been a very good friend had helped her to get through this time. Lindsay had always felt the close connection between herself and Danny. People had teased them a lot, had asked them when they would finally admit that they were perfect for each other.

Of course she had been aware of the crush she had had on Danny, but Lindsay had found it hard to believe Sid when he had told her that her friend was obviously feeling the same way about her.

During the last couple of months, he had proven the opposite to her. Lindsay had needed her time to accept that Danny really wanted to help her, that she wasn't bothering him.

As she had reached this point in her mind, letting him in had been amazingly easy. He knew how to behave around her, how to offer just the right amount of support, how to get through to her. He hadn't behaved awkward, hadn't pushed her, hadn't backed off. It still fascinated her how he had known so perfectly well what to do all the time.

It had only been a question of time until the two of them would make the step and admit their feelings to each other. Lindsay couldn't deny she had been nervous about that. Was she really able to be the girlfriend Danny wanted her to be? In a situation like that?

There was so much she had to deal with. She knew he had wanted to have his fun with his past relationship. Would he really be interested in something so different to what he knew?

Lindsay couldn't deny she wanted him to get together with her at her best, wanted to start dating him properly. She wanted to go out with him, wanted them to have fun. And she didn't want to let him wait for being intimate with her for the first time.

But by the time they had gotten together, she hadn't been capable of doing anything of that. She had still had problems with going outside, had been bothered by nightmares. Going out for dinner had been the furthest from her mind. And having sex? She would have been willing to do it, but she knew she wouldn't have been able to focus, to pay the attention it deserved. She wanted to enjoy their first night to the fullest, wanted to make him happy in the way he made her happy.

But back then, her mind had been filled with so many other thoughts, there had been so much to handle for her. She wouldn't have been able to enjoy their first time the way it deserved to be enjoyed. She also knew she couldn't give him the easy times he was used to from previous relationships.

It had taken her a while to understand that this wasn't the kind of relationship Danny was looking for either. Lindsay had needed her time to understand that he really loved her. He wanted to be together with her, nothing else. The dating could wait. Sleeping with each other could wait. They would do it all when she was able to concentrate on all the things that belonged to dating each other, experiencing intimate moments with each other for the first time.

Instead he had shown to her that there was a whole different kind of intimacy between them already. It didn't involve going out, it didn't involve sex. Still she remembered all the moments when he had just held her close, making her feel protected. Still she remembered how he had joined her in the shower, being so caring and sweet that she had believed she must have been dreaming.

He was everything she had always wanted and after a while, he had managed to convince her that she was everything he had always secretly dreamt of as well.

His patience had been worth it. A short while ago, Danny had invited Lindsay to their first date at a lovely restaurant. Their first night they had shared a week ago. And once again their patience had been worth it. There had been nothing that had distracted her, nothing that had kept her mind busy. She had been able to concentrate on him. Just on him. It had been a stunning, mind blowing experience, even more impressive than she had imagined it.

A tiny smile lit Lindsay's face as she made her way through their apartment, not bothering to switch the lights on. She had learnt so much during the last couple of months. By now, she knew that Danny had been right; she was a strong woman. Stronger than most people she knew. She had to deal with two traumatic experiences and still she was laughing, was smiling, was finally able to enjoy this relationship to the fullest, was able to trust in this man by her side, more than she had ever trusted in anyone else.

Just as she made her way to the bedroom, the lights were switched on. Her smile widened as she entered the room, like expected finding Danny sitting in bed, waiting for her.

"You know you could've fallen asleep already," she told him.

He smiled back at her. "Nah, you know I can't sleep when you're still at work." Closely, he watched her as she changed into her sleeping dress. "How was your shift? It was quite a long on."

Nodding, Lindsay yawned as she joined him in bed. "Yeah, it was a complicated case. We had a suspect pretty quickly, but it took us ages to prove it was him and to get a confession out of him." She raised an eyebrow as she caught the glance he was giving her. "What is it?"

"Nothing." Danny shook his head. "Sorry, I know I should just stop that. But I'm can't really help myself. Is it fine for you to do all parts of the job again now? The field work, the interrogations and all the stuff?"

Lindsay couldn't help but smile at his words. She knew he believed he was getting on her nerves with this protective behaviour. She couldn't deny though that it caused a beautiful, warm feeling deep within her. He cared. This knowledge was worth all the moments when he was questioning her if she was really feeling better.

"It's still difficult sometimes," she answered, willingly letting him wrap his arms around her to pull her closer. There was nothing more relaxing than snuggling into him after a long day. "But I'm getting used to it. I'm keeping my word. One step after the other. I won't push myself."

"Took you long enough to understand that," Danny told her with a wink. He placed a loving kiss onto her cheek. "I'm glad you stopped pressuring yourself so much. One step after the other is just fine. It still amazes me how you're back at work and handling all those cases without freaking out. You didn't even have any nightmares at all for a while."

"Lets hope they won't come back," Lindsay replied. With a comfortable sigh, she snuggled further into him. A familiar warmth started to fill her, spreading into every inch of her body. When she had arrived in New York, she hadn't had the goal to find herself a new partner. Even when she had discovered her growing feelings for Danny, she had pushed this option aside.

Now she couldn't imagine how it felt like to be single. She had gotten so used to coming home, knowing he would either be there already or come home later. She had gotten used to sleeping in his arms, to waking up next to him in the next morning. There was this special connection, this intense closeness. She couldn't think of more beautiful feelings than those which she experienced when she was around him.

"I'm so glad you're feeling so much better," Danny added then, gently running a hand through her curly hair. The tone in his voice made her look up at him. His expression had changed, had gotten a lot more serious now. "I still remember how you looked like when I found you in the warehouse, and when I saw you later at the hospital. I guess I won't ever forget all the nightmares you had."

"It was a hard time for you, too," Lindsay stated. Before he could reply, she continued, "It was. I know that." She hesitated for a second. "You can't imagine how grateful I am that you did that for me. I know, I'd have done the same for you. But that doesn't change how wonderful that was of you. You were there for me all the time. I know how hard it is to offer support for someone who had to face a traumatic experience. I didn't forget how I felt like when I met Stella after the Frankie incident. But you didn't back off. You got through to me, you were there for me in the moments when I felt the weakest. You took time off just to be there for me. You went to Montana with me. You were so patient all the time."

"Well, I guess that's what you do for someone you love," Danny answered, lightly blushing at her words. "I didn't do it because I thought I had to, really. I just followed my instinct and did what I thought was right. I know you often thought it was getting too much, but I never felt pressured. It just hurt so much to see you like that. All I wanted was you to feel better, and I'd have done everything to help you with that."

"Thank you." Leaning in, Lindsay kissed him softly. "Although thank you doesn't even express what I want to say."

Danny chuckled lightly. "Now let's not get sappy." He tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer. "I think even our friends had no idea how close we really were back then already."

"Well, they know it now," Lindsay answered. Gently, she brushed her fingertips over his cheek. "I'm glad we made this step and got together. I know the start wasn't easy, but...you have no idea how much being together with you helped me."

"It helped me as well," Danny replied with a growing smile. "It really did. You have no idea how much I wanted to get together with you. I felt like I was going crazy. I've never seen myself as someone who wanted to have a serious relationship and suddenly it was everything I wanted. It's funny how people can change with the time. But I like myself a lot better the way I'm now."

Her smile widened as well. "Good to know. You've been very patient with me. Thanks for that also."

He chuckled again. "Don't thank me so much, okay? I'm blushing here! I might have changed, but I fear that if you keep this going, you might start this whole 'you're sweet' thing again. I'm not sweet."

"But you do cuddle," Lindsay told him with a smirk. "A lot actually."

"Don't tell anyone," Danny whispered with a smirk of himself. Before she could reply anything, he flipped them over so he was hovering above her. Once again, he ran a hand through her curls. "Do you know how beautiful you are? I've never wanted a woman so much."

"That's just because I let you wait so long," Danny teased him.

He laughed. "Nah, I think it has to do with how sexy you are." He bent down and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she answered.

More words weren't needed. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Lindsay pulled Danny into another deep, passionate kiss. During the last couple of months, they had gotten to know each other in a very intimate way. He had seen her in her weakest moments, he had opened his heart to her, had shown that he truly loved her, that he wasn't the cool playboy he had pretended to be. They had realised that many different ways of intimacy existed. Thanks to all the support he had offered, she had gotten the strength to fight against the pain, the fear, the nightmares. Their friendship had turned into love, they had found a person they could completely trust in and both of them knew that what they had experienced together had made their relationship even stronger.


End file.
